• Latest
  • Trending
ask jesus twitch white jesus

White ‘AI Jesus’ Answers Questions From the Serious to the Comical

August 1, 2023
Julie Chen Moonves

‘Big Brother’ Host Julie Chen Moonves Tells How She ‘Found Jesus’

September 27, 2023
Asian Americans

Fear of Ridicule, Desire to Fit In Prompt Some Asian Americans to Partly Hide Heritage

September 27, 2023
laptop

Evangelical Organization Launches ‘Racial Justice Assessment’ Tool

September 27, 2023
megachurches

Are New Jersey’s Megachurches the Answer to the Crisis of Christianity?

September 27, 2023
Christian rapper Dee-1

Rapper Dee-1 Starts Artist/Scholar Residency at Tufts University After Nabbing Nasir Jones Fellowship at Harvard

September 26, 2023
abortion protest

Midwives Will Be Able to Perform Early Abortions If NJ Plan Moves Forward

September 26, 2023
Turbotax Intuit

TurboTax Parent Company Now Claims Free Filing Will Harm Black Taxpayers

September 26, 2023
new and upcoming Christian books

New and Upcoming Books: ‘Sacred Self-Care,’ ‘Unwind,’ ‘Damaged But Not Destroyed,’ and More

September 25, 2023
Jemar Tisby Color of Compromise

‘Color of Compromise’ Author Jemar Tisby Comments on Quitting Kendi’s Antiracism Center Amid Probe

September 23, 2023
Oklahoma pastor Sherman Jaquess of Matoaka Baptist Church in Ochelata defended wearing blackface to mimic singer and musician Ray Charles

‘I’m Not Racist,’ Says SBC Pastor Who Donned Blackface to ‘Honor’ Ray Charles

September 23, 2023
jesus statue Christ the Redeemer

Why Is There Christianity If Jesus Was Jewish?

September 21, 2023
JoAnne Epps

Temple University Acting President JoAnne Epps Dies Suddenly on Campus

September 20, 2023
Faithfully Magazine
  • Members
    • Log In
    • Member Home
    • See All Members
    • What’s New
    • Start or Join a Group
    • Your Freebies
Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
  • About
    • Advertise
    • Submit Content
    • Give Via PayPal
  • Exclusives
  • Q&As
  • Specials
  • Shop
  • Events
    • Community Events
    • FM Live Q&As
  • Black Christian Content
Cart / $0.00

No products in the cart.

  • About
    • Advertise
    • Submit Content
    • Give Via PayPal
  • Exclusives
  • Q&As
  • Specials
  • Shop
  • Events
    • Community Events
    • FM Live Q&As
  • Black Christian Content
No Result
View All Result
Faithfully Magazine
Home Opinion & Analysis

White ‘AI Jesus’ Answers Questions From the Serious to the Comical

FM Editors by FM Editors
August 1, 2023
in Opinion & Analysis
Reading Time: 5 mins read
0
ask jesus twitch white jesus

Twitch channel "Ask_Jesus". (Source: videograb)

ShareTweetPin It

By Joseph L. Kimmel

Jesus has been portrayed in many different ways: from a prophet who alerts his audience to the world’s imminent end to a philosopher who reflects on the nature of life.

But no one has called Jesus an internet guru – that is, until now.

In his latest role as an “AI Jesus,” Jesus stands, rather awkwardly, as a white man, dressed in a hooded brown-and-white robe, available 24/7 to answer any and all questions on his Twitch channel, “ask_jesus.”

RelatedArticles

child labour, children, industry

Child Labor Is Now Legal in the US

September 1, 2023
Donald Trump's mugshot taken August 24, 2023 as provided by the Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Trump’s Actions Have Already Disqualified Him From the Presidency

August 25, 2023

Questions posed to this chatbot Jesus can range from the serious – such as asking him about life’s meaning – to requesting a good joke.

While many of these individual questions may be interesting in their own right, as a scholar of early Christianity and comparative religion, I argue that the very presentation of Jesus as “AI Jesus” reveals a fascinating refashioning of this spiritual figure for our AI era.

ask jesus twitch white jesus
Twitch channel “Ask_Jesus”. (Source: videograb)

Reinterpreting Jesus

Numerous scholars have described how Jesus has been reinterpreted over the centuries.

For example, religion scholar Stephen Prothero has shown how, in 19th-century America, Jesus was depicted as brave and tough, reflecting white masculine expectations of the period. Prothero argues that a primarily peaceful Jesus was perceived to conflict with these gender norms, and so Jesus’ physical prowess was emphasized.

By contrast, according to scholar R.S. Sugirtharajah, around the same time in India, Jesus was represented as a Hindu mystic or guru by Indian theologians like Ponnambalam Ramanathan in order to make Jesus more relatable for Indian Christians and to show how his spiritual teachings could be usefully adopted by faithful Hindus.

A third presentation of Jesus is reflected in theologian James Cone’s work. Cone depicts Jesus as Black to highlight the oppression he endured as a victim of political violence. He also shows how the “Black Christ” offers hope for liberation, equality and justice to oppressed people today.

The point is not that one of these representations is necessarily more accurate than the others, but instead that Jesus has been consistently reinterpreted to fit the norms and needs of each new context.

The AI Jesus who engages individuals online in the form of a chatbot is the latest in this ongoing pattern of reinterpretation, geared to making Jesus suited to the current times. On AI Jesus’ Twitch channel, users consistently treat this chatbot Jesus as an authority in both personal and spiritual matters. For example, one recent user asked AI Jesus for advice about how best to stay motivated while exercising, while another person wanted to know why God allows war.

AI Jesus at work

AI Jesus represents one of the newest examples in the growing field of AI spirituality. Researchers in AI spirituality study how human spirituality is being shaped by the rising influence of artificial intelligence, as well as how AI can help people understand how humans form beliefs in the first place.

For example, in a 2021 article on AI and religious belief, scholars Andrea Vestrucci, Sara Lumbreras and Lluis Oviedo explain how AI systems can be designed to generate statements of religious belief, such as – hypothetically – “it is highly likely that the Catholic God does not support the death penalty.”

Over time, such systems can revise and recalibrate these statements based on new information. For example, if the AI system is exposed to new data challenging its beliefs, it will automatically nuance future statements in light of that fresh information.

AI Jesus functions very similarly to this kind of artificial intelligence system and answers religious questions, among others.

For example, in addition to fielding questions referring to war and suffering, AI Jesus has responded to questions about why sensing God’s presence can be difficult, whether an action that causes harm yet was done with good intentions is considered a sin, and how to interpret difficult verses from the Bible.

This AI Jesus also adjusts his responses as the chatbot learns from user input over time. For instance, as part of the running stream of questions from some weeks ago, AI Jesus referenced past interactions with users and nuanced his responses accordingly, saying: “I have received this question about the Bible’s meaning before. … But in light of the question you have just posed, I want to add that … .”

AI spirituality beyond AI Jesus

This chatbot guru is facing increasing competition from other sources of AI spirituality.

For example, a recent ChatGPT church service in Germany included a sermon preached by a chatbot represented as a bearded Black man, while other avatars led prayers and worship songs.

Other faith traditions are also providing spiritual lessons through AI. For example, in Thailand a Buddhist chatbot named Phra Maha AI has his own Facebook page on which he shares spiritual lessons, such as about the impermanence of life. Like AI Jesus, he is represented as a human being who freely shares his spiritual wisdom and can be messaged on Facebook anytime, anywhere – provided one has an internet connection.

In Japan, another Buddhist chatbot, known as “Buddhabot,” is in the end stages of development. Created by researchers at Kyoto University, Buddhabot has learned Buddhist sutras from which it will be able to quote when asked religious questions, once it is made publicly available.

In this increasing array of easily accessible online options for seeking spiritual guidance or general advice, it is hard to tell which religious chatbot will prove to be most spiritually satisfying.

In any case, the millennia-old trend of refashioning spiritual leaders to meet contemporary needs is likely to continue well after AI Jesus has become a religious presence of the distant past.The Conversation

Editor’s note: This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.


Joseph L. Kimmel is a part-time faculty member in the Theology Department at Boston College


Share This Post

Share via

Share This Post

  • Digg
  • Tumblr
  • Flipboard
  • SMS
More
  • Report
Advertisement
Ancestry US
ShareTweetPin It
FM Editors

FM Editors

Faithfully Magazine is a fresh, bold and exciting news and culture publication that covers issues, conversations and events impacting Christian communities of color.

More Articles

Vaudeville star Bert Williams in blackface
Opinion & Analysis

What Is Blackface and Why Is Blackface Offensive?

February 6, 2019
US American flag
Uncategorized

Please Stop Saying the Past Is In the Past. It Isn’t.

August 9, 2019
Easter
Faith

Why Easter Is Called Easter: The Holiday’s Ancient Origins Outside of Christianity

March 28, 2018

Discussion about this post

Trending

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Tony Evans and Carla Crummie engaged to be married

Dr. Tony Evans Engaged to Former Pastor’s Wife and Widow Four Years After Lois Evans’ Death

September 12, 2023
Pastors Tim and Jen Timberlake of Celebration Church

Pastor Tim Timberlake Claims He Was Ousted From Celebration Church for Uncovering Fraud

March 31, 2022
Dr Lois Evans Faithfully Magazine

Lois Evans Obituary: Tony Evans’ Wife Was a Dedicated Partner, Mother, and Ministry Leader

January 7, 2020
jackie hill perry tbn fruits of the spirit heterosexuality

Sexuality Has Nothing to Do With Salvation, Jackie Hill Perry Says in TBN Talk About ‘Gay Girl, Good God’

October 8, 2021
Haiti

Christians Plea for Prayer, Help Amid Haiti’s Surging Gang Violence

September 12, 2023
Will Smith stars as Peter in Emancipation, an Apple Original Film inspired by Gordon, or Whipped Peter

Will Smith’s ‘Emancipation’ Inspired by True Story of ‘Whipped Peter,’ Escaped Slave With Scarred Back

October 5, 2022
Julie Chen Moonves

‘Big Brother’ Host Julie Chen Moonves Tells How She ‘Found Jesus’

September 27, 2023
Asian Americans

Fear of Ridicule, Desire to Fit In Prompt Some Asian Americans to Partly Hide Heritage

September 27, 2023
laptop

Evangelical Organization Launches ‘Racial Justice Assessment’ Tool

September 27, 2023
megachurches

Are New Jersey’s Megachurches the Answer to the Crisis of Christianity?

September 27, 2023
Christian rapper Dee-1

Rapper Dee-1 Starts Artist/Scholar Residency at Tufts University After Nabbing Nasir Jones Fellowship at Harvard

September 26, 2023
abortion protest

Midwives Will Be Able to Perform Early Abortions If NJ Plan Moves Forward

September 26, 2023

Most Shared Articles

  • Can Money-Making Microgrids Empower Black Churches to Close the Clean Energy Gap?...
  • Kirk Franklin Finally Finds His Birth Father After 53 Years...
  • Dr. Tony Evans Engaged to Former Pastor’s Wife and Widow Four Years After Lois Evans’ Death...
  • Christians Plea for Prayer, Help Amid Haiti’s Surging Gang Violence...
  • ‘Color of Compromise’ Author Jemar Tisby Comments on Quitting Kendi’s Antiracism C...
  • Coco Gauff Talks Faith After US Open Win: I Don’t Pray for Results; I Pray for Strength....

From The Archive

lakewood church pastor joel osteen
Links

Lakewood Church Says It Did Not Seek Forgiveness for $4.4 Million PPP Loan

by FM Editors
October 13, 2021
Permission to Be Black Book
Books

Read an Adaptation of ‘Permission to Be Black’ by AD ‘Lumkile’ Thomason

by FM Editors
February 1, 2021
solar panels on the roof of Old Bergen Church in Jersey City
Features

More Than Money: What It Means for NJ Churches to Go Green

by Nicola A. Menzie
July 4, 2023
Chinese depiction of Jesus and the rich man (Mark 10), 1879, Beijing.
Clippings

How Asia Remade the Historical Jesus

by FM Editors
June 17, 2018
people in library

Texas Has Banned More Books Than Any Other State, According to New Report

by FM Editors
September 28, 2022

Who’s Online

There are no users currently online
Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram
Faithfully Magazine

Faithfully Magazine is a news and culture publication centered on Christian communities of color.

Recent News

  • ‘Big Brother’ Host Julie Chen Moonves Tells How She ‘Found Jesus’

Category

© 2023 Faithfully Media, LLC (Owner and Operator)

  • From The Magazine
  • Inspiration
  • News
  • Opinion & Analysis
  • Profiled
  • Q&As
  • Remember
  • Specials
  • Web Exclusives
  • Shop
  • Events
    • FM Live Events
    • Community Events
  • Black Christian Content
  • About Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Submit Content
    • Give Via PayPal
  • Members
    • Log In
    • Your Freebies
  • Subscribe to Faithfully Magazine
No Result
View All Result

© 2023 Faithfully Media, LLC (Owner and Operator)

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

*By registering on our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Share via

Share This Post

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • WhatsApp
  • Copy Link
  • Tumblr
  • Digg
  • Flipboard
  • SMS

Add New Playlist

Log In

Sign In

Login with Facebook
Login with Twitter
Forgot password?

Don't have an account? Register

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Back to Login

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Accept

Add to Collection

  • Public collection title

  • Private collection title

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?
Send this to a friend