The oldest Catholic church in the Swiss city of Lucerne has replaced the priest in the confessional booth with an “AI Jesus” designed to interact with more than a thousand people. Peterskapelle church put a computer and cables in the confessional booth to let visitors ask an onscreen image questions of matters of faith and spirituality, hoping to “create a sacred moment.”
The “Deus in Machina” experimental art installation is a product of years of collaboration with Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU). Peterskapelle church worked with a team of artists led by Philipp Haslbauer and Aljosa Smolic of HSLU’s Immersive Realities Research Lab. Launched in August, the AI Jesus art installation was intended to encourage people to think and reflect on the possibilities and limits of the intersection between technology and religion.
“It was really an experiment,” Swiss theologian Marco Schmid told the Guardian. “We wanted to see and understand how people react to an AI Jesus. What would they talk with him about? Would there be interest in talking to him? We’re probably pioneers in this.” The team experimented with virtual and augmented reality to offer an immersive experience combining technology, spirituality, and theology. It chose Jesus as the AI’s avatar.
The image represents a popular depiction of a long-haired, white Jesus who can speak 100 different languages. The model was trained with theological texts to be ready to answer questions and interact with visitors from as far as Southeast Asia.
The experiment runs for two months. So far, AI Jesus has been well-received by two-thirds of those who left feedback, finding it to be a “spiritual experience” reporting “religiously positive moments” with the virtual avatar. However, some negative assessments said the avatar responds with “trite lines and theological cliches.”
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