Swiss church installs AI-powered Jesus
A historic chapel in Lucerne, Switzerland, has transformed its confessional booth into a high-tech interface where visitors can converse with an AI Jesus in 100 different languages. Olivia Palamountain reports
Peter's Chapel, Lucerne's oldest church, has facilitated face-to-face conversations with Jesus, albeit a digital version.
The "Deus in Machina" installation was launched in August, 2024 as part of an ongoing collaboration with a local university research lab specialising in immersive reality. It presents an AI-powered version of Jesus capable of chatting to visitors in more than 100 different languages.
"It was really an experiment," Marco Schmid, a theologian with the church, tells 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 installation attracted more than 1,000 visitors during its two-month trial, including Muslims and tourists from China and Vietnam. According to Schmid, feedback from more than 230 users suggested two-thirds found it to be a "spiritual experience."
The church repurposed its confessional booth to house the computer equipment, projecting an image of a long-haired Jesus through a latticework screen.
he AI was trained on theological texts and programmed to engage in real-time dialogue with visitors, though they were advised against sharing personal information.
The experiment has faced criticism from both Catholic and Protestant colleagues, with concerns raised about the use of the confessional and religious imagery.
Some users found the AI's responses superficial, with a local reporter describing them as "trite, repetitive and exuding a wisdom reminiscent of calendar cliches," according to The Guardian.
Despite the project's success in engaging visitors, Schmid has decided against making it permanent, citing concerns about the unpredictability of AI responses and the responsibility of managing such a system. However, he suggested the technology could be adapted into a multilingual spiritual guide for answering religious questions.
"I think there is a thirst to talk with Jesus," Schmid says. "People want to have an answer: they want words and to listen to what he's saying."
