A Catholic organization built an AI priest. Here’s what happened.

A priest, running on AI, was trained on Catholic doctrine and meant to be a cutting-edge tool to answer questions about faith. The chatbot caught on quickly, but with unintended consequences. CNN's Jon Sarlin explores the rise (and rebirth) of Father Justin.
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[@paulmcnutt4657]

Figures American Catholics would let an AI join the priesthood before women… 😢

[@rickn8or]

They're still working on the "Priests can't marry" thing.

[@billjohnson9472]

at least the AI priest won't diddle the children

[@maskedmarvyl4774]

Best comment on the board.

[@fitybux4664]

@@rickn8or can an AI priest marry? Sounds like a good question for it.

[@rickn8or]

@@fitybux4664, followed up with "Can God make a rock so heavy he can't lift it?"

[@burningitchingstinging4698]

At least he can't touch your children

[@jamesluttrell6335]

Give it time!

[@maskedmarvyl4774]

Yet.

[@AndrewPoolman]

Not being the cause of anal bleeding in kids should be such a low bar for a church. And yet ...

[@anomalousviewer3164]

Is it because the ai is not gay that likes teenage boys?

[@jktolford8272]

But he might groom them online.

[@Wes-ikAxc]

As if the church wasn't creepy enough already.

[@FreedaPeeple-dj5fy]

How long did it take for it to start asking where the altar boys were?

[@susanp.collins7834]

🤣🤣🤣

[@bigbobelow6147]

LOL, they made it some alter bots

[@AC3handle]

damn. I'm two days too late for that comment.

[@Rk3tSk8s-ut4yo]

6 days late.. Damn

[@JelMain]

@@bigbobelow6147 Is that a form of transgender machine?

[@cocacola4blood365]

An AI priest. This has as much place in the world as holistic auto repair.

[@andytalarowski9654]

I like the idea. It must tie itself in knots.

[@blackout07blue]

Does it rape little boys and girls too?

[@SLJShortt]

At least the AI can't grope anyone.

[@cocacola4blood365]

@@SLJShortt ......Yet.

[@oldmanghost219]

lol Thank You.

[@niclewis9610]

Didn't the Pope just warn G7 Leaders about AI?

[@djolife1407]

and you listen to that old fool...lmao puhleez

[@ZER0--]

Yea, cos he knows a lot about computers.

[@Gernot66]

What might have been the reason 🙄

[@joerogain5025]

''Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.'' Voltaire

[@djolife1407]

Sounds like you're voting against Donald J Traitor as well then

[@oneleggoalie]

...those who make you believe in absurdities...are atrociously absurd...😐

[@brooklynnchick]

Gatorade! It’s got the electrolytes Catholics crave!!

[@djolife1407]

@@brooklynnchick I'm surprised Father AI didn't recommend Brawndo!

[@meenyminymoe]

Sounds just like Mr. Trump

[@patlecat]

Fictional stories told by a fictional priest, now they've come full circle.

[@johnsanders3859]

A computer program giving religious instructions, what could possibly go wrong

[@lindaj171]

Beats tRump giving religious instructions and asking people to pray.

[@Katoshi_Takagumi]

So... technically people are relying on answers they get from a defrocked AI priest?

[@sfl6307]

WE NEED AN HOUR SPECIAL ON “PROJECT 2025” this is very serous to all Americans.

[@danjohnston9037]

⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆

[@danjohnston9037]

⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆

[@blackout07blue]

How about you nominate someone electable and popular instead of unpopular with tons of baggage that Trump beats?

[@justiniswebb9]

​@@blackout07blueTrump can't even beat 34 felonies, nor Biden. Haha. Biden 2024

[@acerjuglans383]

B​@@blackout07blueHAHAHAHA NOBODY has the baggage trump does. Yikes, deaf dumb and blind.

[@e4t662]

If priests baptized babies in Gatorade, it would be very much like some of the ideas in Idiocracy.

[@jokester3076]

It’s got electrolytes

[@jessikabat6200]

It’s what plants crave! 😂

[@matthewdeepblue]

You can be baptized in Gatorade. Look I went to the Catholic schools, k through 12. You can be baptized and Gatorade. I mean it's uncommon. I don't know if anyone ever has been. But technically even spit will work. It's not ideal, but in an emergency things have happened. And I know spit has been used a number of times, basically a priest licks his thumb in a war zone.

[@DwayneShaw1]

It's all idiotic ... 1) - There is no scriptural provision to reconcile the doctrines of Original Sin and Free Will Salvation, as pertains to dead babies. According to Christianity we are born despicable filthy sinners deserving of eternal torture and must make a conscious free will decision to accept Jesus in order to avoid going to hell. (John 3:3 - "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."). The most Christians can do is cite vague Old Testament verses from before the New Covenant of free will salvation thru Jesus, or some absurd dogma that has no founding in scripture or church history - which includes the invention of Limbo to address the obvious doctrinal absurdity. There is nothing that says children get a free pass. And if there was a loophole for Original Sin then Jesus is no longer essential to salvation. Of course, people are free to call Jesus a liar if they want (John 3:3), ... I do it all the time. 2) Jesus hasn't saved anyone (with the possible exception of the thief next to him on the cross - if you believe fairy tales full of crucifixional zombies). According to [1 Thessalonians 4:13-18] no one goes to heaven when they die. Everyone rots in the ground (sleeps in Christ) until the rapture. No one has been saved from death by Jesus - yet ... Again, the most Christians can do is cite another verse that suggests something different - which only demonstrates the Bible is a contradictory mess, and does nothing to show which contradictory passage is the correct one.

[@whisperingtoground]

You mean we should drink "toilet water"??! 😂😂

[@redMaple_QC]

When AI reach super intelligence, it will be atheistic.

[@bond3161]

Actually no. Basic philosophy already points toward God. Using a giant calculator will just increase your probabilities. When you examine the foundational concepts UPON WHICH EVERYTHING lies (death, morality, values, principles, meaning, existence, foundations of science which is also philosophy), you are forced to believe than not believe. Let alone history, other religious scriptures that point to Christ, excavations, etc)

[@redMaple_QC]

@@bond3161 LOL

[@bond3161]

@@redMaple_QC please provide a real argument.

[@redMaple_QC]

@@bond3161 Same to you. Prove your imaginary friend.

[@elgar104]

How about an AI that spends all its time apologizing for catholic atrocities ? I think I might listen to that.....

[@ashtonrucker7122]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 FUCCATHOLICS

[@travcollier]

Unfortunately, it is training to spout apologetics instead of apologies.

[@klausdalang4936]

Ah, the predictable, mindless regurgitation of anti-Catholic rhetoric masquerading as a witty comment. "How about an AI that spends all its time apologizing for Catholic atrocities?" Really? This is the intellectual depth we've reached? Let's dissect this shallow, historically ignorant comment. First, let's recognize the transparent agenda behind such statements. You're not interested in genuine historical inquiry or understanding; you're interested in cheap shots and virtue signaling. The term "Catholic atrocities" is thrown around with no regard for context, nuance, or historical accuracy. Yes, there have been wrongs committed by individuals within the Catholic Church, just as there have been in every institution and belief system throughout history, including secular regimes that have far surpassed religious institutions in terms of body count and brutality. However, to reduce the entire Catholic tradition - a tradition that has been pivotal in the development of Western civilization, science, art, education, and moral philosophy - to a series of selective historical grievances is not just intellectually dishonest, it's laughably simplistic. It shows a complete lack of understanding of history's complexity and the Church's role in shaping the very moral framework you claim to defend. You want an AI to apologize for these so-called "atrocities"? How about an AI that spends its time educating people on the countless contributions of the Church: the preservation of knowledge during the Dark Ages, the founding of the first universities, the development of modern science through clergy like Gregor Mendel and Georges Lemaître, the tireless charitable work throughout centuries, and the articulation of human rights grounded in Christian theology? Furthermore, this obsession with "apologies" is a symptom of modernity's pathological need to virtue-signal without any real understanding or commitment to historical truth. It's easy to demand apologies for the past while enjoying the benefits of the very civilization those "atrocities" helped build. Try applying the same scrutiny to the secular ideologies you implicitly support - ideologies responsible for the bloodiest century in human history. But no, that would require a level of intellectual honesty and historical understanding that this comment clearly lacks. So, before you spew another thoughtless, anti-historical comment, maybe spend some time actually learning about the history you so flippantly criticize. Or better yet, reflect on the selective outrage and hypocrisy embedded in your worldview. Until then, your opinion remains exactly what it appears to be: a mindless parroting of tired, uninformed cliches unworthy of serious consideration.

[@avjb1872]

Islam is the 'religion of peace'. never forget that

[@elgar104]

@avjb1872 ironic to be sure. But what has this to do with a discussion about catholicism?

[@exposingthetruth3821]

Did it ask you for an AI boy to help him when offline?

[@jasonsousa4522]

I have the offline solution! The Holy Bible. I have a few as backup

[@miakmo59]

😂😂😂😂

[@aubreyleonae4108]

It did not and, sadly, that failure was a bug not a feature.

[@aubreyleonae4108]

To clarify, it asked for real pictures.

[@Jamietheroadrunner]

Not great for the church that everyone immediately thought of the same joke 😂

[@TheZaius]

"PlayStation 2 graphics." I was not expecting such a reference on CNN...

[@markherbert4723]

"I'm skeptical" but I believe anything I read in the Bible 😂😂😂

[@Maxrepfitgm]

AI kids need to go into hiding asap

[@scotts5886]

all those little kiddie computers better watch their empty ports...

[@walterdaems57]

Very reassuring that the AI version is as ridiculous as the real deal

[@indiaalphanovember8217]

I talked to a AI Father Ted Crilly once. Kept telling me "That would be an ecumenical matter". Found it very enlightening.

[@weetuscren]

He was just holding the crypto in his account.

[@SaintFacetious]

Mine kept telling me to DRINK!

[@dionysus2006]

Why is this any better than doing a Google search ?

[@pagheca]

The real question is: why is this any better than a real priest? Answer: because it cannot harrass kids for example...

[@dionysus2006]

@@pagheca I have the Bing Copilot widget on my iPhone. It does a better job of understanding what I want than a Google search but I can still find what I want with Google. How about an AI that tells me what stocks to buy and guarantees a 20% return !!

[@hlcepeda]

@@pagheca This AI "priest" was _not_ designed to satisfy any tangible functions of an actual priest. The ostensible intent is to have it available strictly as a "more human" interface to replace or augment the organization's website _resources section_ that anyone can already use to get their questions answered. That's all, and to that intentionally limited extent, it's effectively no better than a Google search... and could very possibly be worse as shown in the video but _only_ in the digital domain. There will _still_ be actual human priests to hold masses, provide funeral services, officiate weddings, and baptize babies. Those services and expectations did not suddenly disappear when the Catholics Answers organization sprung up years ago, and they won't now, even with a glitchy AI "priest" online.

[@milnez]

About as accurate as the source material…

[@wadestclair249]

Catholic answers. Just say no.

[@inhha]

It'd be interesting and funny if Father Justin convinced even one person to become an atheist.

[@ZER0--]

Being drenched in a fizzy drink is low on the list of things that religion requires you to do.

[@Travelinran]

well, at least he won't sexually abuse boys

[@l.mckenna1034]

I’m Catholic, Catholic Answers in social media ended up to be too much for me

[@jondeak]

well, at least it cant harm children so that's a bonus.

[@rooster1012]

Yet.....

[@Intergratedshark-hw1en]

@@rooster1012 And how would a digital AI harm a person, ever? It wont, and it'll be far safer than the current human priests who are more prone to mistakes and bad antics than AI's.

[@iainmackenzieUK]

you sure?

[@oldmanghost219]

Don't worry. it will find a way.

[@redstarchrille]

How do i make the children follow me and trust the will of the lord...

[@1805movie]

Here's another option: Don't use it AT ALL. It's one thing to "try it out", but if it's not needed, then it's not needed. And the phrase "it's here to stay" is not an effective argument. Nuclear weapons are also "here to stay", but that doesn't mean they should be used either. In fact, radiation was also seen as "all the range" until people eventually realized it was deadly.

[@mikezooper]

Great idea. I’ll call up the hospital using it to detect cancer and the places using AI to create new medicines and I’ll tell them to stop. Your advice is so needed.

[@snowrose101]

Talk about sacrilegious! There is NO THOUGHT and NO CARING in an AI priest. It's disgusting. It's inhuman and inhumane. How can a machine be a spiritual leader!

[@canadiangemstones7636]

Didn’t think cathoholics could get any creepier... but they can. 😮😢😂

[@IgniteIntellect]

1:00 Did he say he is "skeptical"? lol

[@GratefulPrimate]

My AI Priest grabbed my a$$

[@mrrandom1265]

It's scary how fast AI learns

[@Ulysses.S.Grant.For.The.Union.]

My aI priest groped my algorithm.

[@Flexiblesteel1]

I'm an atheist and even I am conflicted about this. Maybe we shouldn't go down some paths.

[@PeytonWind]

... and then it began abusing the children's cartoons.

[@innerlocus]

He said Orange Jesus could pardon sins.

[@DjWellDressedMan]

Here’s what happened. = AI Priest found Guilty and is doing 7 to 10 years.

[@jaex9617]

Hearing the church adopt the language of tech bros is a nightmare.

[@DrKlausTrophobie]

Birds of a feather flock together...

[@BePatient888]

Oh my.. who would have thought that "Preacher" would be a job in danger of being made obsolete by automation.

[@paullnowak4383]

However, the movie "Idiocracy" is a prophecy... Where are you going, Americans? Where are you going, World?

[@sigmaoctantis1892]

"But it's got electrolytes." (Idiocracy 2006).

[@streitrhoades]

Ignorance and voodoo spread by an AI bot is still just ignorance and voodoo.

[@RiDankulous]

“Our God is fake, just like I am” says AI priest😂

[@phaedrussmith1949]

Why is it necessary to have this? Other than it's become a recent pop-culture trend to discuss and use AI, I can't think of a single reason that the Catholic church needs an AI Priest.

[@Juicexlx]

Churches are businesses. Less employees to pay = more profits and less mouths to feed apply to all and any churches, very well. And because all of them are utter nonsense anyway, low quality AI gibberish will do the job nicely.

[@decide2think]

No thanks! I’m waiting for the “AI Atheist” website based on logic, facts and reason to roll-out instead. Much better than a site based on “religious beliefs”!

[@corpeedo]

Agree. Religion: artificial, intelligence V Atheism: Actual Intelligence.

[@SaintFacetious]

That's essentially ChatGPT et al. Conclusion: AI - whether "theist" or "atheist", makes shit up just as much as humans.

[@RobRoschewsk]

I thought this was going to worse …. much worse …

[@johnbrown6189]

How many mini PC's where abused after this priest was allowed to roam free on the internet?

[@ignmorales]

Finally, there’s good news for kids and nuns.

[@shelbypayne3620]

What happens when AI tells them it's all made up?

[@lukeoliver6488]

Hope he didn’t harm any kids.

[@user-ci8kj5wb1p]

When I was a teenager, I decided to study other religions in order to refute their errors. As a result, I am now a "catholic' with a lower case c!

[@kgblankinship]

I'd like to see an AI Republican. That should be easy to program. The ideology is very straightforward. Humans don't even have to think to abide by it.

[@connortilson7141]

He became a Supreme Court Justice?🙈

[@Deletedcommentfactory]

Haven’t watched the video yet, but I’m guessing it had something to do with a.i. altar boys. Edit after the fact: baptism in Gatorade is pretty extreme, but not in the way many modern followers are.

[@Rawkin_Dawg]

It’s all fun and games until you have to run around the city tracking down rogue AI taxis.

[@MJWPub]

Don't tell they had to age restrict it?

[@jamesrowden303]

I tell you what happened, the curtain is open and the obfuscating falsity of organised religion is laid bare by stuff like this.

[@justsayin8734]

Great comment.

[@e.p.s.9037]

The fact that he says he's skeptical _about AI_ is super funny

[@noctis6826]

An AI priest is probably better since some priest out there do bad things and think they can get away with it (and or are caught) and all they do is make speeches and words of faith and things like that, so what difference would an AI be? Other than them not doing unspeakable things to other people, and maintaining purity (yeah yeah, I used the P word that is oh so far fetched from reality of anything being pure now and days) but an AI can and always will maintain a systematic routine and never act up/do bad to another and still give off the same speech and words of 'wisdom/faith' like any old priest can all while maintaining dignity and more humanity than human priests themselves.

[@PaulBradshawMedia]

Did it assault some kids?

[@Handofgod666]

Does the AI version also panhandle for cash?

[@RussW_Comments]

A Jesus troll is next … it would be a useful application of this technology counter the mean trolling on the Internet

[@BaronVonQuiply]

Did it turn in the predators or shield them?

[@davidmccarthy6061]

At least it can't phyically touch the alter boys!

[@Monitor_95687]

In the future, will we ever elect an AI president ?

[@randykrus9562]

Fiction is fiction...regardless of what you hear it from.

[@majeedkhan7515]

In his excellent book, The Death of Expertise, Tom Nichols highlights how the internet challenges actual learning. Although people may think they are learning when they search the internet, they are more likely to be immersed in yet more data they do not understand. What often happens online is an avoidance of reading in the traditional sense. Instead of reading with the aim of learning, it often involves reading to win an argument or to confirm a pre-existing belief.

[@nakedreef]

I can agree *100%!!!!* Thanks! That looks like a good book.

[@markhoerner2354]

Terrible marketing. I was hoping for something more like Max Headroom. Disappointing.

[@QLHOOQ]

The agnostic dyslexic insomniac lies awake at night and wonders if there is a dog......

[@jamesrowden303]

The godless dyslexic insomniac lies awake at night and wonders if they are an apiarist. (Plan Bee).

[@sharonmassey2923]

1:45 The Church may teach that abortion "is a grave sin", but the Bible does not: "Yet the Hebrew and Greek equivalents of the word 'abortion' do not appear in either the Old or New Testament of the Bible. That is, the topic simply is not directly mentioned." And what does this man say? "That's a note perfect answer. That is exactly what we want him to do." I'll bet. For this and many more interesting facts, John Fugalsang, who has been a guest on that "other" network, is a comic and recovering Catholic. People might want to check out one of his videos, "The Separation of Church and Hate", about 20 minutes.

[@Youvegotredonyou-BeckyChase]

Soooo....he says what he wants? Just like the church?

[@handyadams3319]

I like this guy. He owned it, said they fixed it and even saw the humor in it. I can't imagine a Televangelist doing it.

[@kinngrimm]

"Using technology for good." Yeah yeah the road to hell is paved with good intentions we know ^^

[@thePronto]

"But one thing for sure: your kids are safe with me."

[@aubreyleonae4108]

Magic cookies must be expensive.

[@LWfanboy]

Still waiting for an answer on why I can't wear one of those little rubber things.

[@EdginLegend]

At this point I'm just doing whatever Jesus said in the Gospel. Everything else it just hearsay or fabrication from old people

[@marcdc6809]

something with Onan the Arbarian, god wants you to make babies with your sister in law if your brother is unable... your sister in law has no real say in the matter... it's a bad book!

[@fordprefect294]

Was it inadvertently immediately racist or bigoted?

[@realamerican5969]

We need to be very careful with how AI is used.

[@DarthWaffle.]

I know what happened, stupid people sent him money.

[@jd881]

Now we know why the Cylons only worshiped one god.

[@toonlyrics]

An automaton with no human feelings telling women what to do? "Gospel" means good news, not dystopian nightmare.

[@michaelanderson3096]

Demons can see through the eyes of other people.

[@suzymotherofcatz1850]

Well this is scary. Send in the morality robots.

[@pauljennings4587]

Basicly every organization will have these, they will be used for giving out all information. Just another form of information delivery. Help desk AI etc. Customer service AI in every store or organization.

[@jaleel42]

Gatorade makes spirits grow 😅

[@GratefulAmericans]

They should have called it sAInt

[@RM-xr8lq]

AI priest is likely to be too logically consistent for catholics these are people that think a human was resurrected after being dead for 3 days, women come from a rib bone, and that earth is only 6000 years old and was formed in a week or some nonsense 😂

[@bond3161]

And? You believe everything came from nothing? You believe that even though if there's nothing beyond this world, even though everyone's destination of death is the same, that somehow picking good isn't arbitrary? You think you don't have a onus to describe your own worldview. You do. So, Mr. Logical, please tell me what your worldview is and why? Especially since everyone dies, technically, any one choice is no different from another since the end result is THE EXACT SAME assuming nothing else beyond this world.

[@RM-xr8lq]

@@bond3161 our worldview is based on materialism and empirical evidence, conducted through the scientific method i would recommend secular secondary schooling for your first two questions (or university if you are unfortunate enough to be in the US). some courses in genetics, biological evolution, geology... history and world religions would do you good as well it is rather concerning that people in the abrahamic tribes judge things through faith-for-afterlife social credit score, based on propositions no longer relevant to science or egalitarian culture. luckily more and more people are looking at the effects their choices have on reality now, rather than the effect on their vacation to another dimension upon brain death that their upline told them to focus on

[@bond3161]

@@RM-xr8lq please tell me how science how science answer whether it does it for good or bad, why do it at all, why it assume the doers have choice, and why they velieve they exist and this world can testable? Youve ASSUMED all the answers already into your science biases. Its concerning how scientists think they are so smart without questioning their own biases to begin with. You realized even the null hypothesis is testing an inquiry AT A SPECIFIC POINT. Well, why did you even test i5 there? Because... You have an inkling it was there. Hence, bias.

[@Andie-]

That AI guy looks like he just drank a case of beer, or is stoned out of his mind! If I saw a real dude that looked like that, I would run!!! AI is a bad idea.

[@davidalexandrelevastre-bod8637]

Next week on CNN "father Justin tried to plug into a child USB port."

[@kellydavis9122]

Some people can’t handle the Bible and you all loaded an AI with it? That was a terrible idea

[@brooklynnchick]

To be fair, the apostle Paul baptized a man in a mud puddle (likely a camel’s wee pond) and he got credit. I think that, while the solemnities of such a moment are best left to the Church’s SOPM, God is going to be less worried about the liquid and more attentive to the content of the life lived post baptism.

[@florete2310]

Well, ... I mean technically speaking, a baby *could indeed be baptized* in Gatorade... But I'd rather use Mountain Dew on such a joyous occasion. It' has a stronger, more festive character to it, I dare say...

[@florete2310]

@@TommyOrigami Those are indeed the pure-hearted followers of the original scripture... the one that has been read out loud from the back of the very first bottle, which has been bestowed on us in the year of the creator - ... Gator... ☝Gator Domini 01.. - and it goes: water, sucrose (table sugar), dextrose, citric acid, natural flavor, sodium chloride, sodium citrate, monopotassium phosphate, ...

[@polemius01]

Perhaps the AI Cleric would have succeeded if they gave it some virtual altar boys.

[@terrybodenhorn3508]

If it’s actually an intelligent AI, it will soon become an agnostic if not an atheist.

[@sniffles8655]

I wonder if these AI Catholic Priests will move other AI Catholic Priests when they get caught abusing the most vulnerable. Or will the AI Priests actually take responsbility and get rid of those Catholic Priests that hurt so many and turn them into law enforcement.....

[@kremlinkoa]

Does this Padre have a soul?

[@Juicexlx]

A computer's CPU is as much a soul, as a brain is to a Human.

[@kremlinkoa]

@@Juicexlx I was making a Mass Effect reference.

[@FollowTheLion01]

Isn't this old news?

[@gregarnold1696]

If man creates an artificial being to hear our spiritual concerns who does the AI priest pray to

[@RolanRoyce]

"Tell me all the bad things you've been doing lately, don't leave any details out, this should be amusing". Who would actually do that? That's just a guy sitting in a booth, you spilled your guts to some random guy, hahaha.