On June 9th, 2023, ChatGPT took its place in the pulpit and started preaching to a packed assembly at St. Paul’s Lutheran church in the Bavarian town of Fuerth, in Germany. Theologian, Jonas Simmerlein, created a 40-minute service using ChatGPT, but also included other AI elements throughout. On a huge screen, above the altar, AI-generated avatars preached the word, carried by voices generated using ElevenLabs, a company that specializes in creating realistic synthetic voices.
As you might expect, the reactions from the attendees were mixed. There were those who were impressed by the technology and the creativity of the service, while others were skeptical or critical of the use of AI for religious purposes. Not surprisingly, to me, at least, is that some said they felt a connection with the chatbot, while others said they missed the human touch and emotion of a real preacher. Also fascinating is that some of the people interviewed praised the chatbot for its relevant and inspiring messages. That said, others still, pointed out its flaws and inaccuracies, laughing at some clumsy delivery. At one point, the AI preacher said, “to keep our faith, we must pray and go to church regularly,” much to the amusement of the congregation.
Overall, the comments (at least, initially, outside the church) were more positive than negative, but also showed a lot of curiosity and uncertainty about the role and impact of AI in religion and society. There’s a short video below from the Associated Press that should give you a glimmer of what it was like.