ChatGPT AI delivered a sermon in a Protestant church in Germany, telling the congregation not to fear death.
Hundreds of attendees gathered to hear a sermon written by the viral AI chatbot of OpenAI.
ChatGPT AI-Delivered Sermon in German Church
ChatGPT, a large language model chatbot developed by OpenAI, took the world by storm early this year since it does all sorts of things. But this time, hundreds of protestants attended a sermon at the St. Paul church in the Bavarian town of Fuerth.
As per the Associated Press, more than 300 people gathered to hear the AI-written virtual sermon and witness the experimental Lutheran church service, which heavily dips its toes into AI technology.
An avatar of a Black man with a beard delivered the AI-written sermon on a massive display above the altar of the church.
The avatar, which features a monotonous or robotic voice, began the service by saying, "It is an honor for me to stand here and preach to you." It further touted itself as the "first artificial intelligence" for the convention of Protestants in Germany.
According to Business Insider, the church service, which runs for roughly 40 minutes, was made possible by the viral AI chatbot and Jonas Simmerlein. The latter is a philosopher and theologian at the University of Vienna. Besides the sermon, they also co-created prayers and music.
Simmerlein told The Associated Press that ChatGPT created about 98 percent of the service. So he says that although he "conceived this service," he believes that he "rather accompanied it."
Protestant Attendees were Told Not to Fear Death
Like any church service, the sermon shared its wisdom and comfort with the congregation, urging them not to fear death. It said that this fear is often based on the unknown and that it is important to remember that death is simply a transition to another state of being.
Fox News Online reports that the AI-generated service sometimes drew laughter from the crowd due to the deadpan delivery of the avatar. At least four avatars lead the service, two males and two females.
The use of ChatGPT in delivering sermons represents a significant milestone in AI integration. However, some of the attendees seem unimpressed. They noticed that the presence of AI in the pulpit strikingly differs compared to human-led services.
The 54-year-old attendee, Heiderose Schmidt, told Associated Press it lacked "heart" and "soul." Schmidt emphasized that the four AI-generated avatars "showed no emotions at all." Besides the apparent lack of body language, it not only talked too fast, but it also delivered the sermon like a robot.
