{"id":24652,"date":"2024-11-29T15:30:54","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T22:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/ai-jesus-avatar-tests-mans-faith-in-machines-and-the-divine\/"},"modified":"2024-11-29T22:30:54","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T22:30:54","slug":"ai-jesus-avatar-tests-mans-faith-in-machines-and-the-divine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/ai-jesus-avatar-tests-mans-faith-in-machines-and-the-divine\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018AI Jesus\u2019 avatar tests man\u2019s faith in machines and the divine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"An
An experimental art installation with an AI Jesus entitled, Deus in Machina, installed in a confessional in St. Peter's Chapel in the old town of Lucerne, Switzerland, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (Urs Flueeler\/Keystone via AP)<\/span>(Urs Flueeler\/Keystone via AP)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

LUCERNE, Switzerland \u2013 Would you trust an \u201cAI Jesus\u201d with your innermost thoughts and troubles?<\/p>\n

Researchers and religious leaders on Wednesday released findings from a two-month experiment through art in a Catholic chapel in Switzerland, where an avatar of \u201cJesus\u201d on a computer screen \u2013 tucked into a confessional \u2013 took questions by visitors on faith, morality and modern-day woes, and offered responses based on Scripture.<\/p>\n

The idea, said the chapel\u2019s theological assistant, was to recognize the growing importance of artificial intelligence in human lives, even when it comes to religion, and explore the limits of human trust in a machine.<\/p>\n

After the two-month run of the \u201cDeus in Machina\u201d exhibit at Peter\u2019s Chapel starting in late August, some 900 conversations from visitors \u2013- some came more than once \u2013- were transcribed anonymously. Those behind the project said it was largely a success: Visitors often came out moved or deep in thought, and found it easy to use.<\/p>\n

A small sign invited visitors to enter a confessional -\u2013 chosen for its intimacy \u2013- and below a lattice screen across which penitent believers would usually speak with a priest, a green light signaled the visitor\u2019s turn to speak, and a red one came on when \u201cAI Jesus\u201d on a computer screen on the other side was responding.<\/p>\n

Often, a lag time was needed to wait for the response \u2013 a testament to the technical complexities. After exiting, nearly 300 visitors filled out questionnaires that informed the report released Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Of love, war, suffering and solitude<\/strong><\/div>\n

Philipp Haslbauer, an IT specialist at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts who pulled together the technical side of the project, said the AI responsible for taking the role of \u201cAI Jesus\u201d and generating responses was GPT-4o<\/a> by OpenAI, and an open-source version of the company\u2019s Whisper<\/a> was used for speech comprehension.<\/p>\n

An AI video generator from Heygen<\/a> was used to produce voice and video from a real person, he said. Haslbauer said no specific safeguards were used \u201cbecause we observed GPT-4o to respond fairly well to controversial topics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Visitors broached many topics, including true love, the afterlife, feelings of solitude, war and suffering in the world, the existence of God, plus issues like sexual abuse cases in the Catholic Church or its position on homosexuality.<\/p>\n

Most visitors described themselves as Christians, though agnostics, atheists, Muslims, Buddhists and Taoists took part too, according to a recap of the project released by the Catholic parish of Lucerne.<\/p>\n

About one-third were German speakers, but \u201cAI Jesus\u201d \u2013 which is conversant in about 100 languages \u2013 also had conversations in languages like Chinese, English, French, Hungarian, Italian, Russian and Spanish.<\/p>\n

\u2018Work of the Devil\u2019? <\/strong><\/div>\n

\u201cWhat was really interesting (was) to see that the people really talked with him in a serious way. They didn\u2019t come to make jokes,\u201d said chapel theologian Marco Schmid, who spearheaded the project. Most visitors were aged 40 to 70, and more Catholics respondents found the experience stimulating than did Protestants, the report showed.<\/p>\n

Schmid was quick to point out that the \u201cAI Jesus\u201d \u2013 billed as a \u201cJesus-like\u201d persona \u2013 was an artistic experiment to get people thinking about the intersection between the digital and the divine, not substitute for human interaction or sacramental confessions with a priest, nor was it intended to save pastoral resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the people it was clear that it was a computer \u2026 It was clear it was not a confession,\u201d Schmid said. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t programmed to give absolutions or prayers. At the end, it was more summary of the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Catholic Church from the Vatican on down has been wrestling with the challenges \u2013- and possible opportunities -\u2013 presented by the explosion in public interest in AI since generative artificial intelligence captured the world\u2019s attention two years ago when OpenAI\u2019s ChatGPT made its debut.<\/p>\n

The Vatican has appointed a friar from a medieval Franciscan order<\/a> as its top expert on AI, and a Lutheran church in Bavaria served up sermons delivered by a chatbot<\/a> last year. Pope Francis, in his annual peace message for this year, pushed for an international treaty to ensure the ethical use<\/a> of AI technology.<\/p>\n

Chatbots like ChatGPT are powered by algorithmic models trained on vast pools of text and other data to mimic speech and generate seemingly unique and humanlike responses.<\/p>\n

Haslbauer is sensitive to public reaction and has noted chatter on social media saying the project is \u201cblasphemous\u201d or the \u201cwork of the devil.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you read comments on the internet about it, some are very negative \u2013 which is scary,\u201d Haslbauer, whose long-haired look featured as a basis for the image of the virtual Jesus.<\/p>\n

In a demonstration of the technology in the chapel, Haslbauer queried \u201cAI Jesus\u201d about its message for a troubled world, and about whether AI could be helpful as a way for people to find God.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll knowledge and wisdom ultimately come from God,\u201d the chatbot said in a soothing voice, after a pause to respond, and the image briefly crackled. \u201cIf used wisely, AI can indeed be a tool to explore the wonders of creation, deepen our understanding of Scripture, and foster connections among people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYet it remains essential to seek God with all your heart and soul beyond any technology,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n

A good side, and downsides<\/strong><\/div>\n

Kenneth Cukier, a journalist, author and expert with the U.S.-based nonprofit group called \u201cAI and Faith,\u201d said if \u201cAI Jesus\u201d helps people connect deeper to themselves and the world, it \u201chas to be a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will lead to better individuals and a better world,\u201d he said. \u201cHowever \u2013 and there\u2019s a big however \u2013 this does feel a little bit infantile, and pardon my pun, machinelike.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe risk is that it pulls people, ultimately, farther away from that which is more meaningful, deeper and authentic in spirituality,\u201d said Cukier, co-author of \u201cBig Data: A Revolution that Will Transform How We Work, Live and Think.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Schmid, the exhibit was a pilot project \u2013 and he doesn\u2019t foresee a second coming of \u201cAI Jesus\u201d anytime soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, it was also clear it was just a limited time that we will expose this Jesus,\u201d he said, adding that any return would need to be done after deeper thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are discussing \u2026 how we could revive him again,\u201d he said, noting interest from parishes, schoolteachers, researchers and others as the project got media attention in Switzerland and beyond. \u201cThey all are interested and would like to have this \u2018AI Jesus\u2019. So we have now a little bit to reflect on how we want to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An
An experimental art installation with an AI Jesus entitled, Deus in Machina, installed in a confessional in St. Peter's Chapel in the old town of Lucerne, Switzerland, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (Urs Flueeler\/Keystone via AP)<\/span>(Urs Flueeler\/Keystone via AP)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"An
An experimental art installation with an AI Jesus entitled, Deus in Machina, installed in a confessional in St. Peter's Chapel in the old town of Lucerne, Switzerland, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (Urs Flueeler\/Keystone via AP)<\/span>(Urs Flueeler\/Keystone via AP)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"An
An experimental art installation with an AI Jesus entitled, Deus in Machina, installed in a confessional in St. Peter's Chapel in the old town of Lucerne, Switzerland, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (Urs Flueeler\/Keystone via AP)<\/span>(Urs Flueeler\/Keystone via AP)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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