Supporters of Artificial Intelligence Seek to Rewrite the Bible and Use Chatbots to Lead Church Services

Artificial intelligence is set to change the modern world in a variety of ways, generating art, assisting writers, and even emulating people’s voices.

But few would have expected it to be tasked with writing religious services and even rewriting one of the most read and revered books in history, the Bible. Yet, in Germany, hundreds of Protestants were led in a worship service in Nuremberg, Germany on June 9 by an expressionless “chatbot” delivering blessings and a sermon prepared by ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) program.

A chatbot is an AI-driven program that mimics human conversation through text or voice. A few weeks earlier, a World Economic Forum (WEF) senior adviser suggested AI could be used to “rewrite” the Bible to make it “more inclusive” and globally appealing as scripture.

These developments pose unprecedented literary and theological challenges to established religious authorities worldwide. Yuval Noah Harari predicted AI’s potential for creating a global religious text during an interview.