Confession to a computer? Experts say 'AI Jesus' can't perform sacrament | Fact check

The claim: Swiss church is having confessions heard by ‘AI Jesus’

A Nov. 20 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) alerts people to a purported new offering at St. Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne, Switzerland.

"NEW - A church in Switzerland is now using an AI hologram of Jesus to take confessions from worshippers," the post's caption reads.

The post was shared 50 times in six days. Other Facebook users made similar claims.

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Our rating: False

The setup is an art installation, not a substitute for confession, according to the church that set it up and religious experts. Catholic Church law says confession must be done in person with a priest. The installation warns users to not divulge any personal information, which is a critical element of confession.

Art installation encouraged dialogue, not confession

At St. Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne, a monitor showing an animated Jesus sits on the priest’s side of a divider in a confessional booth, according to The Guardian. The image of Jesus is powered by an AI model trained to discuss religion and scripture with visitors.

But while equipment was set up inside a confessional, the website announcing the project refers to it as an “art installation" called "Deus in Machina," not as a genuine place for confession or reconciliation. Marco Schmid, a theologian who is affiliated with the chapel, likewise told The Guardian the installation was an "experiment" and "not a confession."

A media report including a demonstration of the installation bears that out, and experts speaking with USA TODAY said under Catholic Church law an AI system cannot offer confession.

Before a person can even begin communicating with the installation, it warns, “Do not disclose personal information under any circumstances,” according to a translation of the disclaimer from Deutsche Welle, an English-language German news outlet. The report shows that users must also press a button to confirm they understand the project's limitations.

Rev. Thomas Rausch, a professor of theology at Loyola Marymount University, told USA TODAY the installation is in no way a substitute for or equivalent to the Catholic sacrament of reconciliation. He noted that Catholic Church canon laws 965 and 966 say that only a priest may hear confession.

“Confession, or ‘Reconciliation’ as it is usually termed today, is an ecclesial sacrament, always private, celebrated with a penitent and a priest who has been authorized by the Church to proclaim God’s forgiveness,” he wrote in an email. “AI is a non-ecclesial, impersonal set of technologies which assembles collections of data into a programmed readout. It has nothing to do with a sacramental encounter.”

Ulrich Lehner, a theology professor at Notre Dame, also told USA TODAY that confession has to be performed in person with a priest. He said the idea of “virtual confession” has been discussed for centuries – and knocked back down by the Vatican each time.

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When social distancing was required during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, scholars determined that churches were not allowed to offer reconciliation over Zoom or other platforms. In response, the Church improvised to allow people to go to confession with innovative solutions like drive-up confessions.

David DeCosse, a religious studies professor and ethics expert at Santa Clara University, told USA TODAY that directly divulging sins to a priest is a crucial part of confession that would make using AI for confession impossible.

"It's almost a textbook case of the limits of AI in terms of all that we miss when we depart from the bodily, the interpersonal, the face, the subtleties and feelings of human memory,” he wrote in an email.

A link to an article included in the Facebook post reiterated the false claim but provided no evidence to support it. USA TODAY reached out to some of the social media users who shared the claim for comment but did not immediately receive responses. One user who did respond offered no evidence to support the post's claim.

Our fact-check sources

• Rev. Thomas Rausch, Nov. 25, Email exchange with USA TODAY

• Ulrich Lehner, Nov. 25, Email exchange with USA TODAY

• David DeCosse, Nov. 22, Email exchange with USA TODAY

• John Evans, Nov. 22, Email exchange with USA TODAY

• The Guardian, Nov. 21, Deus in machina: Swiss church installs AI-powered Jesus

• Deutsche Welle, Nov. 18, Video — Switzerland's AI Jesus answers questions of faith

• The Vatican, accessed Nov. 25, Code of Canon Law - Book IV - Function of the Church Liber (Cann. 959-997)

• Journal of Public Health | Oxford Academic, June 3, 2021, The sacrament of confession during Covid-19 pandemic

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UPDATE: This story was updated to add additional information.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'AI Jesus' is art installation, not place for confession | Fact check