It is hard enough for the average Christian to keep up with all things faith and culture, much less all things technology. Yet the overlap between the two is becoming increasingly common.
Consider the recent experiment in a Catholic chapel in Switzerland, the “Deus in Machina” exhibit at Peter’s Chapel. An avatar of “Jesus” on a computer screen was tucked into a confessional, took questions from visitors, and then offered responses based on Scripture. The idea, said the chapel’s 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.”
Guests brought up 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.” After a two-month run, and some 900 conversations from visitors, those behind the project deemed it a success: “Visitors often came out moved or deep in thought, and found it easy to use.”
The responses were generated by GPT-4o from OpenAI, the possibilities of which, I might add, are only beginning.
A recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article was provocatively titled, “A Powerful AI Breakthrough Is About to Transform the World.” Here was the lead paragraph:
The AI revolution is about to spread way beyond chatbots. From new plastic-eating bacteria and new cancer cures to autonomous helper robots and self-driving cars, the generative-AI technology that gained prominence as the engine of ChatGPT is poised to change our lives in ways that make talking bots look like mere distractions.
Most of our current interaction with artificial intelligence is in relation to computers that can write or talk, code or make pictures. But the underlying technology (called a “transformer”) can do far more. It allows computers to understand a “heap of data” in such a way that it can generate its own similar output.
Translation: human-level AI may be just around the corner.
But it’s still very much around the corner. “Powerful as they can be,” reports WSJ, “these systems still have limits.” And, of course, “they are only as smart as the data they are trained on.”
Which brings us back to the “AI Jesus.” Those behind the experiment are the first to say that it 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.”
Nonetheless, the Vatican has appointed a friar from a medieval Franciscan order as its top expert on AI, and a Lutheran church in Bavaria recently served up sermons delivered on a chatbot.
So, when the avatar was asked what the message from “AI Jesus” would be for a troubled world, and could AI be helpful for people wanting to find God, here was its answer:
All knowledge and wisdom ultimately come from God. If used wisely, AI can indeed be a tool to explore the wonders of creation, deepen our understanding of Scripture, and foster connections among people.
Yes, perhaps.
Unless it starts generating its own theology, and a Jesus not based on the Scriptures. Theologian Millard Erickson, building on the insights of William E. Hordern, notes that every generation must translate the gospel into its unique cultural context. But this is very different from transforming the message of the gospel into something that was never intended by the biblical witness. Transformation of the message must be avoided at all costs. Translation, however, is essential for a winsome and compelling presentation of the gospel of Christ. So, let’s keep the technology of “transformers” to a small “t,”
... and not a capital “T.”
James Emery White
Sources
Jamey Keaten, “‘AI Jesus’ Avatar Tests Man’s Faith in Machines and the Divine,” AP News, November 28, 2024, read online.
“Hello GPT-4o,” OpenAI, May 13, 2024, read online.
Christopher Mims, “A Powerful AI Breakthrough Is About to Transform the World,” The Wall Street Journal, November 15, 2024, read online.
Millard Erickson, Christian Theology, 2nd ed.
Photo Courtesy: ©DALL.E 2024 via ChatGPT
Published Date: December 16, 2024
James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.