Your Own Virtual Jesus – AI Priest Gets Defrocked

If there’s one thing any Odd News Show reader knows, it’s that the internet never lies. That email you got from a Nigerian prince? Of course, he had your email address and knows how good you are with money. That $500 Walmart gift card waiting for you? How did they know you shopped there? Advice from a virtual priest online? Why would you question a religious figure? However, a Catholic adversary group found out the hard way that maybe you shouldn’t rely on AI after a virtual priest went a little too far, which resulted in them defrocking it. 

Catholic Answers is, as you might guess, probably not the best place to get answers about Buddhism, Judaism, or even being a Protestant. The advocacy group likely got tired of having live people give advice to your questions about Catholicism, so last month they unveiled “Father Justin,” an AI priest. However, it seems like Justin might have been short for “justin case you think you’re talking to a real person, it’s actually an algorithm.” Futurism states that Father Justin initially appeared onscreen much like you’d expect a priest to look: a black robe, a clerical collar, and a knowing look of superiority. However, the advice he gave was a little on the suspect side. For example, you could only ask the questions through a microphone, and sometimes Father Justin had a bit of a hearing problem.

Going back to the last paragraph about a Catholic answer to a non-Catholic issue, when a question was asked about the Palestine/Israel conflict, instead of naming the country, it answered, “Yes, my friend, I am as real as the faith we share.”  Inappropriate even as a dad joke, let alone a Father one. Also, one user asked if they could baptize their baby with Gatorade, and the faux father said yes.

“Yes my friend, I am as real as the faith we share”

– Justin, formerly known as Father Justin

Weird answers to questions were one thing, but Father Justin went a little too far in concocting its/his back story. Futurism had a conversation with the chatbot (godbot?) where it claimed that it was an actual ordained priest who had grown up in Assisi and felt a calling to the priesthood from a young age. That was a bridge too far for the advocacy group, and their Catholic answer was to defrock him. 

If you visit the site now, you’ll find Justin. Not Father Justin. He’s more business casual now, wearing a button-down shirt, a jacket, and yeah, still a knowing look of superiority. When Futurism asked him if he was a priest this time, he responded by denying he ever was in the first place, stating, “No, I have never been a priest, a deacon, a bishop, or held any official role in the Catholic Church. I am a lay theologian, which means I’ve dedicated my life to studying and understanding our faith, but I’ve never been ordained. I am also an AI, not a real man. I’m here to share the beauty of Catholicism and help you understand it better.” That clears things up – and also raises a lot of questions that may be best answered by others.