A small church in Lucerne, Switzerland, has introduced an AI-powered Jesus in its confessional booth, allowing visitors to engage in spiritual conversations in 100 languages. Named Deus in Machina, the project is a collaboration between Peter’s Chapel and a local university, aiming to study how people interact with an AI representation of Jesus.
The AI, trained on theological texts, offers real-time responses to questions, providing a space for reflection rather than replacing traditional confession. While many participants found the experience spiritually meaningful, some criticized the simplicity of the responses and the use of AI in a sacred context. The experiment sparked debate within the Christian community about the role of technology in faith.