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Father Justin, a chatbot in a cassock, answered Internet users’ questions using artificial intelligence. After several erroneous pieces of advice, the association which had given him life made the decision to defrock him.
A priest created from artificial intelligence was dismissed from his position on Tuesday April 25, the day after his launch by the Christian group Catholic Answers, based in California. Father Justin became Justin again, a simple lay advisor.
“I absolve you of your sins”
The avatar of Priest Justin was to serve as an interactive tool to popularize Catholicism among Internet users. In just a few hours, the exchanges shared by users caused a scandal on social networks. In a publication on X, one of the Internet users reveals screenshots of her exchanges with the avatar. She claims to confess to Father Justin who absolves her of her sins: “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, writes artificial intelligence. Go in peace, my child, and sin no more.” In addition to claiming to practice confessions, Father Justin claimed to be a true member of the Italian clergy.
The New York media Futurism, specializing in new technologies, in turn questioned the chatbot which assured it was “as real as the faith we share.” Father Justin also had very strong positions on sexual issues. “Masturbation is a serious moral disorder”, he declared. The site The Pillar, a specialist in the Catholic Church, says it asked Father Justin if it was possible, “in case of emergency”, to baptize your child with Gatorade, an energy drink. Artificial intelligence would have answered yes.
Just Justin for now
On his X account, Father Mike Palmer, chaplain of the American army, estimates: “It should have been a simple search engine. Dressing it up as a soulless priest avatar only encouraged confusion and mockery of your work.”
Faced with the general indignation of the Catholic community, the Catholic Answers group decided to transform Father Justin into “Just Justin,” a lay advisor, without a cassock, in a simple suit. “Father Justin became Justin. We will not say that he was removed from the priesthood, because he was never a real priest,” explains the president of the association, Christopher Check, in a press release. Since then, a few updates appear to have been made. Justin no longer collects confessions. “If you are facing any problems, please seek advice from your pastor or spiritual advisor“, says the website.