The Chapel of St. Peter in Lucerne, the oldest church in the city, installed the “Deus in Machina” in its confessional on an experimental basis for two months. This AI-powered avatar of Jesus could engage in discussions on religious topics in more than 100 languages. It was trained on theological texts and provided real-time responses to visitors.
Church staff emphasized that the installation was not intended for confession and advised visitors against sharing personal information with the AI Jesus. They also warned that interactions with the system were at the visitors’ discretion.
More than 1,000 visitors, including Muslims and tourists from China and Vietnam, interacted with the AI Jesus.
Two-thirds of the 230 visitors described the experience as positive, calling it “spiritual.” However, some said they found it difficult to engage with a machine, while others criticized the responses as clichéd. Both the Catholic and Protestant churches also voiced criticism of the experiment.
To reduce the risk of the AI Jesus providing “inappropriate” answers, referencing illegal activities, or conflicting with the church’s official teachings, the church conducted preliminary tests with 30 individuals before the installation. Staff were also present at all times to provide support. Concerns about the possibility of the AI Jesus giving a “wrong” response were the main reason the installation remained experimental and was not made a permanent feature in the church.
