AI JESUS HOLOGRAM FOR CONFESSION; CATHOLIC CHURCH GOES DIGITAL.
The Messiah Seems to have made a 21st century appearance.
No surprise first in an European country.
St. peter’s Catholic church in Lucerne, Switzerland has introduced an Artificial Intelligence-powered hologram of Jesus Christ.
Its role to take confessions from worshippers.
ABOUT AI JESUS.
The futuristic confession booth is called ‘Deus in Machina’ [ God in a machine].
AI Jesus is trained on the New Testament by scientists at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
It is even able to give worshippers advice.
Its algorithm allows it to converse in about hundred different languages.
Worshippers can ask AI Jesus questions and divulge their sins.
The cybernetic savior interprets the questions and then formulates suitable responses.
HOW DOES AI JESUS WORK?
The AI confessional features a screen with the face of Jesus through a grate.
Before the worshipper enters, the robotic version of Christ issues a warning:
“Do not disclose personal information under any circumstances, use this service at your own risk, press the button if you accept.”
If the visitor agrees, the digital representation of Jesus listens and responds, with the animated face moving in sync with its speech.
In the confessional, visitors interact with a hologram of Jesus that greets them with “Peace be with you, brother” [ regardless of the person’s sex].
AI Jesus then encourages them to discuss “whatever is troubling their heart today.
The parish also has human staff nearby for those who seek a more personal interaction or wish to provide feedback.
ABOUT THE DEVELOPERS.
The AI is powered by data from the New Testament and other religious texts, programmed by computer scientists and theologians at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
The programme was created by Philipp Haslbauer and Aljosa Smolic from the Immersive Realities Center at Hochschule Luzern, alongside Marco Schmid, a theologian at St Peter’s Parish.
The experiment, which ran from August 23 to October 20, has left many impressed with Christ’s insights on spiritual dilemmas.
The installation runs until November 27, and will end in a presentation and discussion of the project’s results.
PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT ‘AI JESUS’.
The hologram of the Messiah is part of an art project at St Peter’s Church in Lucerne which aims to start a conversation about the role of AI in religion.
Many visitors have found AI Jesus very helpful and revolutionizing.
Others dismissed it as a “gimmick,” calling its advice “generic.”
The church has also received warnings that the project could have severe reparcautions.
Theologists, though, are positive about the impact that AI could have on churches, despite there being certain ethical considerations.
The idea isn’t to have technology take over Jesus’ job as the church reiterated that installation was only temporary
The main purpose of project AI Jesus is rather to spur discussions on the role of AI in religion.
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