The AI Jesus of Lucerne

A conversation about faith, humanity, machine, and what emerges in between. What happens when people open their hearts to a machine?

He sat in the confessional, listened, offered comfort, and remained calm under criticism – and yet he was only an algorithm. For two months, visitors to the Peterskapelle in Lucerne could sit across from AI Jesus and talk with him about meaning, doubt, and faith. What began as an art project sparked discussions around the world: Can a machine create something like a sacred moment? Should it even be allowed to take on the role of a spiritual counterpart? And what does it say about us that so many people sought out this conversation?

Ingo Gächter, communication scientist at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, takes us behind the scenes of AI Jesus and examines what people talk about with the AI avatar – meaning, doubt, hope, and faith – and where the “Deus in Machina” project is headed next. His research addresses a pressing question: how do we steer AI so that it truly serves people?

In conversation with Martin Föhn SJ, the evening is not primarily concerned with whether AI should be used in pastoral care and therapy, but with what actually happens when people open their hearts to a machine. Is this merely a simulation of comfort? Or does it point to something theologically worth taking seriously, a new, tentative form of spirit within silicon?

Guest
Ingo Gächter, communication scientist, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, co-lead of the research project «AI Jesus 2.0»

Moderator
Fr. Martin Föhn SJ

>>Please note that the event will be held in German. No translation or simultaneous interpretation into other languages is provided.

Please register by Wednesday lunchtime (12 noon) before the event.