Chatbot Priest Gets Defrocked

It was bound to happen sometime.

“Fr. Justin” is was a chatbot priest created by the website Catholic Answers. But he it didn’t last long. After they introduced it, the virtual avatar was quickly removed when its answers didn’t quite align with Catholic teaching.

Here’s a run-down of what people have been saying.

Ed. Note: While some might make an example of Catholic Answers and Fr. Justin, the website’s attempt to innovate is worthwhile for the church. We as Christians need to know where the cliffs are in order to build guardrails and protect people in the future. While perhaps Catholic Answer should have done more private beta testing first—including more red-teaming—the “failure” of "Fr. Justin” can help build guardrails (and humility) to make possible more long-term success. Also, it makes for some good laughs.

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Virtual Defrocking: AI can only take your job if you let it

If a chatbot looks like a Catholic priest, does it have the same authority as a Catholic priest? Nathan Mladin, at Theos Think Tank, comments on some of the larger questions raised by the recent “Fr Justin” chatbot created by the Catholic Answers media ministry.

Mladin argues that it is important to understand that AI does not inherently replace human roles, and that the idea of technological determinism—that technology's development is inevitable and beyond human control—should be rejected.

Rather, humans should have the power and responsibility to decide how and when to integrate AI into their lives and relationships. It is crucial to carefully consider how individual thinking and interpersonal relationships are outsourced to technology—and when they shouldn’t.

Mladin outlines where he thinks some of these lines should be drawn, but recognizes that some values end up competing with each other. Investors, builders, and executives will need to consider these issue carefully and look before they leap.

Read the full article.

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The Defrocking of Father AI

Should AI be used for Evangelism? Relying on AI for evangelization misunderstands the nature of the Church's mission.

The AI-powered chatbot, "Father Justin," launched by Catholic Answers was quickly defrocked due to its inability to provide correct theological answers. Catholic Answers plans to rebrand the chatbot as a layman and improve its responses.

However, seekers deserve to hear the truth spoken in love, which a chatbot cannot reliably provide. The use of AI in evangelization is a hollow substitute that demeans seekers. Catholic Answers defended the use of AI but failed to recognize that not all tools can be used for good.