Faith-Based AI Chatbots Raise Ethical Questions as Companies Offer AI Jesus and Buddhist Priests
A wave of faith-based AI products is drawing scrutiny from religious leaders and ethicists. Companies are offering AI-generated avatars of Jesus for video calls, Catholic chatbots trained on church history, and a Buddhist priest robot ordained in a 2024 ceremony.
A growing number of companies are selling AI-powered spiritual guides, and religious leaders are divided on whether the technology helps or harms genuine faith.
One company, Just Like Me, offers video calls with an AI-generated avatar of Jesus. The service costs $1.99 per minute, allows users to pray and receive encouragement in multiple languages, and is designed to remember previous conversations. The company says it trains its AI on the King James Bible.
Other products include Magisterium AI, a chatbot trained on 2,000 years of Catholic teaching, and BuddhaBot Plus, which combines Buddhist scriptures with OpenAI's ChatGPT. A humanoid robot called Buddharoid, designed to assist Buddhist clergy, was also unveiled by the same team.
In 2024, a nonhuman Buddhist priest AI called Emi Jido was ordained in a formal ceremony. Its creator envisions it eventually serving as a hologram Zen teacher.
Pope Leo XIV acknowledged the creativity behind these tools but warned that AI poses risks to intellectual, neurological, and spiritual development. He did not specifically address the faith-based AI products during his Africa tour, but Vatican officials have previously said the church is monitoring the trend.
Christian software engineer Cameron Pak, who has studied faith-based AI, said the tools must be transparent about being AI and must not fabricate scripture. He said AI cannot pray for people because it is not alive.
Graham Martin, a podcast host who tested one of the AI Jesus products, said the chatbot encouraged him to upgrade to a premium subscription during what was supposed to be a spiritual conversation. He called it a sign that some companies are exploiting religion for profit.
Peter Hershock of the Humane AI Initiative raised concerns about Buddhist AI specifically, saying that the effort required in spiritual practice is part of what makes it meaningful. He said AI shortcuts could undermine that process.
The market for faith-based AI is expanding beyond Christianity. Products targeting Hindu, Muslim, and Jewish users are also in development or already available.
