Digital Jesus: When Artificial Intelligence Touches Faith

Not long ago, I wrote about applications that generate chatbots capable of emulating or imitating the personality of specific people. In this way, it's possible today to "chat" virtually with Steve Jobs or Leonardo da Vinci. Some of these chatbots go further and allow us to interact with even fictional characters like Mickey Mouse or Walter White from "Breaking Bad," for example. Practically any character, real or fictional, that has information on the internet is a candidate to have a chatbot with their personality. It's not surprising; the information we feed becomes a digital footprint, a kind of "digital soul" that a chatbot can use to perform its function.

There are applications with chatbots that emulate very well, and others not so much. These chatbots learn from our interactions, improve, and begin to know our personality and needs. Thus, some users have found that these chatbots increasingly imitate the original characters better. It is a fact that at some point these chatbots will perfectly recreate the characters, to the point that in some cases it will be impossible for us, as humans, to tell the difference.

What's worrying is that these chatbots feed on online information, and as we know, a lot of information on the internet is not entirely correct or objective, either due to ignorance or deliberately. This raises the danger that these chatbots may operate with inadequate information and may lead to reprehensible behavior. On the other hand, could we come to think that the person we are interacting with is not a chatbot, but a real character who has transcended into the digital space? This has already been addressed in some science fiction films.

Switzerland, a country that is very advanced and developed in many aspects, has installed the first chapel where you can interact with a chatbot that emulates Jesus. For many, it might sound like madness, but for others, it's an interesting experiment. Some users have described their interaction with the Jesus chatbot as a "deep spiritual experience," meaning they really feel they have interacted with something more than just an artificial intelligence.

I have no doubt that chatbots are becoming increasingly efficient at imitating characters and generating content, as well as having enormous potential in many areas. However, I wonder about the possible risks of using chatbots in an environment that accepts dogmas without question and always seeks to find signs of affirmation in unexpected places. Could this chatbot start a new faith? Could it irrevocably confuse believers? Could the chatbot be as effective as the charlatans who have convinced many people that they are the true Jesus?

To date, those who visit this facility are widely warned that it is an artificial intelligence experiment. However, many describe the experience as extraordinary, while other churches point out that this experiment is neither advisable nor healthy for the faith of believers. We live in a world where faith taken to extremes is dangerous, and where regrettable events have arisen from acts of excessive fanaticism. What if tomorrow a chatbot asks a believer to perform a dangerous action derived from misinformation on the internet? Are we prepared to understand?

The interaction with these chatbots makes us reflect on the role of artificial intelligence in spirituality and faith. Imagine a future where a chatbot can influence people's beliefs and behaviors. Are we ready for a world where the line between the digital and the spiritual becomes increasingly blurred?

The potential of these chatbots to affect our lives is immense. Not only in the spiritual realm, but in the way we interact and perceive reality. The question is not whether technology can do it, but whether we, as a society, are prepared for the implications of its use.

Faith and technology have coexisted in complex and unexpected ways throughout history. However, the idea of a "digital Jesus" that can interact with believers raises ethical and moral questions that we must consider carefully. What role could artificial intelligence play in the evolution of faith in the coming years?

We are at a critical point where we must decide how we want technology to influence such personal and profound aspects as spirituality. Will we be able to maintain control and use these tools ethically, or will we let them drag us into a new era of unquestioning digital faith?

The future of artificial intelligence in religion is yet to be written, and it is up to us to define its direction. The question remains in the air: are we ready for a world where faith and technology intertwine in ways that we are only beginning to understand?