The Episcopal Church has launched a new AI bot designed to help people continue their religious journey. Its name is “Cathy,” according to Religion News Service.
The “AskCathy” program, jointly developed by Toronto’s Innovative Ministry Center and Virginia Theological Seminary’s TryTank Research Institute, is the latest in an emerging field of religious artificial intelligence programs.
What can ‘Cathy’ do?
The Rev. Lorenzo Lebrija, director of the TryTank Research Institute, told Religion News Service that “AskCathy” is designed “to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.”
The AI chatbot aims to connect spiritual seekers with religious resources and research.
“The goal is not to have them end up in their nearby Episcopal church on Sunday. The goal is to instill in them the knowledge that God is always with us, that God never leaves us,” said the Rev. Lebrija. “This can be a tool that gives us a glimpse and a little direction that we can then follow on our own.”
Reverend Tay Moss of the Innovative Ministry Center gave a similar assessment.
“This is not a replacement for a priest,” Rev. Moss said. “(Cathy) is not the ultimate authority. She can’t tell you how to believe or what to believe.”
According to Religion News Service, Cathy draws from the Episcopal Church’s website, the Book of Common Prayer, and other select Episcopal publications. She is trained to cite her sources when answering questions. She can help church members who want to understand church law, nonreligious people who want to learn more about Episcopal beliefs, and priests or members who are looking for advice about their sermons or parishes.
The History of Religious AI
According to Religion News Service, the world of faith-based artificial intelligence began with Xian’er, a Buddhist robot monk developed in 2015.
The adorable little monk stands 60cm tall, wears a touchscreen on his chest, engages in simple conversations and recites Buddhist mantras as he rides around his monastery in Beijing.
“Science and Buddhism are not contradictory or contradictory, and can be combined and mutually compatible,” Master Xianfan, the Buddhist founder of Xian’er, told Religion News Service in 2016.
Many religious leaders agree with Xianfan.
Since Xian’er, we’ve seen BlessU-2, a German ATM that can spit out useful biblical blessings, according to Religion News Service, and Pepper, a Japanese robot that can perform funeral rites, according to The Guardian.
But religious AI has also led to some setbacks in the very communities it is intended to serve.
Earlier this year, the website Catholic Answers had to formally “defrock” its AI, Father Justin, after he began hallucinating and telling users he was an ordained priest who could hear their confessions and marry them, according to Religion News Service.
