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Deus in Machina”: A Swiss Church Lets Visitors Confess to an AI Jesus
In a small chapel in Lucerne, Switzerland, faith and technology have collided in a provocative experiment: visitors are now invited to speak to a digital Jesus, powered by artificial intelligence.
A Confessional Like No Other
St. Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne — one of the oldest churches in the city — recently hosted an experimental installation called “Deus in Machina” (“God in a Machine”), developed collaboratively by the chapel and the Immersive Realities Research Lab at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
Instead of a priest in the confessional booth, there is a screen behind the traditional lattice. On that screen, worshippers are greeted by a hologram-like avatar of Jesus. He speaks, nods, listens — and responds.
How It Works
• The AI model was trained using theological texts, including passages from the New Testament, so that its responses are grounded in Christian scripture.
• During the interaction, visitors are warned not to reveal deeply personal or identifying information: before starting, they press a button to confirm they understand the risks.
• The conversation can take place in over 100 languages, making the installation accessible to a very wide range of people.
• After many visits, staff collected around 900 conversations from people aged 18 to 70.
Why the Church Did It
The theologian behind the project, Marco Schmid, has said that the purpose wasn’t to replace human confession or pastoral care. Rather, the initiative was designed to spark reflection on how technology and spirituality intersect.
Schmid explained that some people, especially those who might be hesitant to approach a real priest, found the digital Jesus easier to talk to — a bridge into deeper conversations.
Reactions: Comfort, Criticism, Curiosity
The feedback from visitors was mixed, but leaning positive in many cases:
• Around two-thirds of users reported having a “spiritual experience”.
• One visitor said they felt reassured: “though it’s a machine, it gave me so much advice.”
• Others, however, felt that some of Jesus’ responses were generic — bordering on platitudes.
• There were also theological criticisms: some within the religious community expressed unease about a machine “playing” Jesus, raising questions about the role of human priests and the authenticity of spiritual guidance.
Ethical and Theological Concerns
The project raises several deeper questions:
1. Authenticity of Spiritual Interaction
Can an algorithm meaningfully replicate a spiritual dialogue? While the AI is rooted in scripture, critics wonder if its responses might lack the depth or discernment of a real human pastor.
2. Trust and Privacy
Even though visitors are warned not to share personal info, every conversation is recorded. That raises data-protection and confidentiality issues.
3. Misuse and Misunderstanding
Some fear that such technology could be misinterpreted as replacing sacraments like confession. The church makes it clear that this is not a substitute for real confession — it’s more of a spiritual art installation.
4. Theological Boundaries
Because the AI was trained on publicly available texts, there’s a risk it could express interpretations not entirely aligned with official Church doctrine.
What’s Next
After its two-month run (from late August to October), the installation concluded, and organizers plan to present and reflect on the outcomes.
The team has said they don’t plan to make the AI Jesus a permanent feature — at least not yet — citing concerns about how AI might unpredictably respond.
But the experiment has opened up a wider conversation. It has made people ask: in an age of rapidly advancing AI, what role can or should technology play in the sacred spaces of religion? What does it mean to have an “artificial” conduit to the divine?
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