A Church in Switzerland Sets Up an AI-Powered Confession Booth to Engage Curious Visitors
Peter Chapel in Lucerne is a small, simple church recognized as the oldest church in this Swiss city. Recently, however, it has gained unexpected fame thanks to high technology and the introduction of an AI priest capable of conversing in 100 languages.
“This is actually an experiment,” said Marco Schmid, a theologian at the church, adding, “We want to see and understand how people react to an AI deity. What will they talk about? Are they interested in having a conversation? We might be pioneers in this field.”
The system is called Deus in Machina, launched in August as part of a multi-year collaboration with a local university’s research department on immersive reality.
People talking to the AI version of the priest. (Photo: Guardian).
After experimenting with virtual and augmented reality projects, the church decided that the next step was to create an avatar for the AI. Schmid explained, “We discussed what kind of representation would be appropriate – a theologian, a human, or a saint? But then we realized that the most fitting image would be Jesus Christ.”
Due to space limitations and the need for a private area where people could converse with the AI, the church installed computers and cables within the confession booth. After training the AI program on theological texts, visitors are invited to ask questions to a long-haired figure projected on a grid screen. This character responds in real-time, providing answers through artificial intelligence technology.
Visitors are advised not to disclose any personal information and acknowledge that they accept the risks of interacting with the AI. However, Schmid stated that the character will not hear confessions but will engage in conversation.
During the two-month trial, over 1,000 individuals – including Muslims and tourists from distant countries such as China and other Asian nations – seized the opportunity to participate.
Feedback from more than 230 users indicated that 2/3 of them felt it was a “spiritual experience.” Schmid remarked, “We can say they had a positive religious moment with this AI priest. To me, that’s quite surprising.”
Others were more critical, with some telling the church that they found it difficult to converse with a machine. A local journalist who tried the device described the responses as sometimes “clichéd, repetitive, and exuding hollow wisdom.”
Schmid noted that this experiment also faced criticism from some members of the church community. Catholic peers objected to the use of the confession booth, while Protestants seemed angered by the installation of the image in this manner.
