00:00For people of faith, there are many apps claiming to make everyday religious life easier.
00:08They can remind you of prayer times, send you inspiring verses from the Koran or help
00:14you study the Torah or Bible on the go.
00:18The combined data of religious texts can be called up in an instant.
00:21For example with this AI Rabbi.
00:26The program works similarly to ChatTPT.
00:29You can ask the virtual rabbi anything and it's always available.
00:33But of course, mistakes can happen.
00:37The opportunities for AI in religious practice are endless.
00:41Try holding virtual church services for example or speaking directly with religious figures.
00:47How about Jesus himself?
00:51This AI Jesus, developed at Lucerne's University of Applied Sciences, was put to the test in
00:56Peter's Chapel in the same city.
00:58It's like ChatGPT, but trained on the Bible.
01:03In a test run, volunteers sat in a confessional with a bearded bot and asked him questions.
01:08The feedback was largely positive.
01:15He reaffirmed me in my ways of going about things.
01:18And he helped me with questions I had.
01:24I thought it was a gimmick for sure.
01:27In just two months, AI Jesus held around 900 conversations.
01:32Many users reported having positive experiences, but not all of them did.
01:36Some found his answers evasive.
01:39But unlike historical Jesus, at least this one can sit across from you and respond to
01:43questions.
01:44He even took on pastoral care.
01:46Too good to be true?
01:48What AI is also doing is creating immersive experiences that we associate with feelings
01:58of transcendence and religions.
02:01And here the huge question is, is this authentic?
02:06Well, many religious scholars aren't quite convinced.
02:14It distracts us from the development of AI turning into a religion.
02:21And it makes religion important.
02:23And religious people are always interested in making themselves more important.
