Innovations in Idolatry

In the past months, a number of “AI priests” have appeared, offering spiritual advice and wisdom. To be fair, they usually then disappear, but this seems to be a trend– what’s the attraction?

The Guardian, Daily Mail, Metro and other media, all report on the latest AI cleric, dubbed “AI Jesus,” installed in St Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne. A hologram of the supposed face of Jesus appears behind a latticework screen, lip-synced to an AI trained on the New Testament. Visitors ask it questions and receive instant answers and, apparently, wisdom.

I was surprised, it was so easy, and though it’s a machine, it gave me so much advice … said one happy worshipper.

According to the Guardian, two-thirds of visitors felt they had a spiritual experience.  (Of course, they don’t explain what they mean by “spiritual experience” — spiritual compared to what?)

Earlier this year, a Catholic organisation created “Father Justin” — a white-bearded male in clerical clothing. Father Justin sparked an online backlash and had to be “defrocked”, after it claimed to be a real priest who lived in Assisi, Italy. And last year, the first of several church services was planned, written and presented, in Germany, by AI avatars.

Isn’t this all just very silly?

To be honest, the AIs that supposedly look like Jesus bother me less than the AIs that don’t look like Jesus. While AI Jesus grabs headlines, the real story is the quiet, unchecked infiltration of AI into every corner of our lives.

There is a “silent adoption” of AI in organisations, workplaces, homes and churches. We are increasingly placing AI at the centre of our world, using it to answer questions, give us advice, help us write reports, and it’s happening across society.

Even this may be fine. AI can solve many problems – I use it every day, and I used it to critique this article before it was posted – but most organisations and churches are using AI with little thought and no ethical guidelines, and there is a creeping dependence that we are choosing to ignore. Most visitors to St Peter’s Lucerne will not, become followers of AI Jesus, but we are all, increasingly, following AI.

When we become dependent on anything for wisdom, advice, and answers, it can become an idol – and this one is different.

This idol is different to any you have seen before, for one simple reason

It speaks.

AI can answer our questions in a humanlike voice, it can initiate conversations and engage in small talk. Of course, AI isn’t “speaking” in any human sense. It is using a statistical model of words and phrases to predict language (written text or verbal). AI only uses language in this secondary manner. It is not speaking, but we perceive it as speaking.

What’s the danger in that?

Speaking is central to our understanding of God in a way we should stop and consider. In the Bible, speaking is a divine attribute that only God, and humans made in God’s image, can have. God speaks creation into existence; the Word becomes flesh, we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and so on. Moreover, in the Old Testament speaking is used, multiple times, as the demarcation between God (Yahweh) and an idol. Eg Psalm 115 v4:

But their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
They have mouths, but cannot speak, 
eyes, but cannot see
They have ears, but cannot hear.

Well here is an idol of our age which, apparently, can speak, and see, and hear.

The Christian Counter Narrative

Every day, tools that once belonged to science fiction are becoming part of daily life. Machines that talk to us, write and perform songs, create entertaining podcasts and teach us difficult concepts, are now part of the fabric of our world. And yes, you can make them look like Jesus if you want.

And so, we can get this fast-food wisdom. It satisfies an immediate need but is inevitably shallow because it is not forged in the furnace of human experience. It lacks the consciousness that we have, as uniquely made in God’s image. But we treat AI as though it is wise, and as though it is conscious.

Just as in the Old Testament, skilled workers crafted silver and gold to create an idol, modern-day technologists are crafting language models to create AI  …. and they have the backing of unlimited billions from the richest companies in the world.

As a member of the AI Christian Partnership, I believe God can use AI for His glory. It can be a powerful tool for discipleship and evangelism—but only if we approach it wisely. Churches and organisations must develop ethical guidelines for when and how to use  AI, ensuring these tools serve God’s purposes without becoming replacements for His voice.

Because an idol doesn’t have to look like Jesus to be an idol

This article was commissioned by Premier Christianity. All Chris’s work for Premier can be found here

If you enjoyed this article try the GodTV interview, Is the church AI ready?

Click below to see an NBC News item on AI-Jesus in Lucerne