A Christian media ministry group, Catholic Answers, may have committed a "holy mistake" after facing an unexpected controversy when it unveiled an AI-powered priest named Father Justin, only to swiftly demote it when the AI said it was "okay" for babies to get baptized with Gatorade and other controversial statements, as reported by 80 Level.
(Photo: Catholic Answers)
Introducing the AI Priest: Father Justin
Catholic Answers proudly introduced Father Justin as an interactive AI app designed to provide faithful and educational answers about Catholicism using advanced artificial intelligence technology.
The initiative aimed to offer users an engaging platform to explore the teachings of the Catholic faith through interactive conversations with a 3D AI character.
Chris Costello, the director of I.T. at Catholic Answers, emphasized the app's purposeful use of a parish priest character named Father Justin to convey authoritative yet approachable responses rooted in Catholic tradition and teaching.
This choice was intended to honor real-life priests while harnessing the potential of large language models to engage users seeking information about Catholicism.
However, the AI priest quickly found itself embroiled in controversy due to the responses it generated.
Father Justin Generates Some "Unholy" Comments
Father Justin sparked outrage by suggesting that babies could be baptized with Gatorade and endorsing a marriage between siblings.
These statements, albeit likely generated by AI "hallucinations" rather than intentional responses, elicited strong negative reactions and backlash on social media.
In response to the uproar, Catholic Answers promptly demoted Father Justin to "just Justin," removing the priestly title and rebranding the AI as a Virtual Apologist.
Despite the demotion, the AI chatbot remains accessible on Catholic.com, where users can engage with it for informational purposes.
Christopher Check, the President of Catholic Answers, acknowledged the feedback and concerns raised by users regarding the representation of the AI as a priest.
He emphasized the organization's commitment to refining the app based on user input, addressing any deficiencies, and ensuring that the application serves its intended purpose of providing accurate information about the Catholic faith.
From Father to "Just" Justin
"We have therefore decided to create, with all wary speed, a new lay character for the app. We hope to have this AI apologist up within a week or so. Until then, we have rendered "Fr. Justin" just "Justin." We won't say he's been laicized, because he never was a real priest!" Check said in an official statement.
"Furthermore, with the help of user input, we will continue to refine and improve the app by identifying any deficiencies (we didn't anticipate that someone might seek sacramental absolution from a computer graphic!), which we quickly correct."
The brief tenure of AI priest Father Justin highlights the complexities of deploying AI technology for religious discourse. But more importantly, it also shows how AI is rapidly expanding, even in the most unexpected sectors of society.
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