Duncan Thomsen/Midjourney
Selfie of Jesus Christ
It sounds like a miracle, but for $1.99 (1.69 euros) per minute, you can now connect to a Jesus Christ AI.
The promise is from a technology company from Southern California, which recently launched an avatar of Jesus, with artificial intelligence (AI), which allows paid video calls to speak with the messiah.
Just Like Me guarantees a conversation with the so-called “Jesus AI”. And there is also a monthly package of 45 minutes, for $49.99 (about 42 euros).
The system, according to the company, was designed to offer a “compassionate presence” to those seeking guidance in everyday life.
The avatar was visually inspired by the actor’s interpretation of Jesus Jonathan Roumie in the television series The Chosen:
Jonathan Roumie
According to the company, the model was trained with the King James Bible and an unspecified set of sermons. During video calls, the figure appears on a vertical screen, with paused responses and imperfect facial animation, describes , with lip sync failures in several languages.
The company’s CEO, Chris Breed, presents the project as a mission of hope, but highlights the type of emotional relationship that the platform can promote, almost as if Jesus became a “friend”.
The company seeks to limit user expectations. On its website, it clarifies that “Jesus AI” is not Jesus Christ, does not have divine authority and is not intended to replace faith, clergy or scriptures.
Still, the reviews rained on the spiritual and ethical legitimacy of the service. Some users consider the project morally unacceptable.
Of note is the expansion of religiously oriented AI products. The market already includes alleged Hindu gurus, Buddhist priest chatbots and Catholic platforms like Magisterium AI, trained with some 2,000 years of Church information.
