An artificial intelligence (AI) Jesus answers the questions of believers inside a confessional in Lucerne, Switzerland. The characteristic figure of a young man with long hair and a beard also has excellent knowledge of the Bible.

“Peace be with you, my friend,” says the avatar of Jesus kindly. “In times of uncertainty and doubt, remember that faith can move mountains. What is weighing on your heart today?’

It is an experimental art installation, explain the officials of the church of St. Peter in Lucerne, which has its roots in the 12th century. “This is not a substitute for real confession,” emphasizes theological associate Marco Schmid. TN-Jesus was trained to answer difficult questions and was “fed” with the New Testament, he adds.

From compassionate to… banal and commonplace

“I’m often surprised at how good his answers are,” says Schmidt. Sometimes he even admits that he thinks: “Well, that’s exactly what I would say.” However, there was no shortage of platitudes. An example: “In an age of technology and rapid change, the core of our faith remains constant: Love, hope and faith.” However, regarding such banal expressions, Schmidt comments: “And preachers themselves often do no better.”

An outdated Jesus?

A young theologian from Münster has difficulties in accepting Jesus of Lucerne. Anna Puzio works on the ethics of technology at the University of Twente in the Netherlands and is open in principle to the use of AI in places of worship. But “The face of Jesus is that of a man with a beard and Western-centric views – an image we have long since outgrown in theology.”

The same is true of many of his responses, according to Puzio. “It reinforces old religious concepts, which in theology are now considered outdated, and at the same time feeds fundamentalist tendencies in the Church,” he observes. Of course, for the Evangelical Church of Germany, the artistic project “definitely reaching some limits”, declares its representative.

Edited by: Chrysa Vachtsevanu