Talk about an unorthodox role at church: ChatGPT is becoming a part of some services, but not everybody agrees on what that role should be.
This summer, a church in Germany used artificial intelligence to plan nearly everything, from prayers to scripture to sermon. It even had an avatar on a giant screen.
Most of the congregation was visiting as part of a regional church conference, but other curious people stopped by and lines were out the door.
Reaction was mixed. Heiderose Schmidt told TRT World News she didn't get a lot out of it. "It was exciting, interesting, but for me it was too monotonous," she said. "The avatar spoke too quickly. Sometimes you couldn't think in your head. It wasn't personal enough." Meanwhile, Marc Jansen said he missed the "emotionality."
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At another church service, this one in Austin, Tex., Pastor Jay Cooper tried a similar thing but without the avatar.
At Violet Crown City Church, he said, "Initially I just supplied it with one prompt — create an entire worship service and include Call to Worship, prayers, liturgy, sermon, everything. And what it gave me was probably a 15-minute summary. It just wasn't adequate, so the human element was needed."
Cooper went in and provided ChatGPT with additional prompts and it created a 50-minute service.
Cooper says he's been interested in AI for some time, as he has worshippers who are software engineers and tech types and is looking for ways the church can engage the world.
His AI-generated sermon focused on "How to help Christians discern truth in a world where AI blurs the truth." ChatGPT even wrote a song called "The Solid Rock of Truth." This is where Cooper says the congregation really saw the potential of artificial intelligence. It used lines like "web of lies" and "deep fakes."
But at least one person at Violet Crown City Church said what was missing was love and the Holy Spirit.
Retired Cincinnati Pastor Larry Bradley is not surprised. He says human beings are supposed to take the message to other human beings. "God is our instrument because that's why he sent Christ down in the likeness of human flesh. Not a robot, but as a man," he says.
Bradley led the Greater Canaan Missionary Baptist Church for 48 years. He says artificial intelligence has its place, but not in writing or delivering sermons.
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Executive Pastor Timothy Lane of Cincinnati's Corinthian Baptist Church agrees, especially, he says, if God is leading him to change the message in the moment. "There's a human element that addresses certain situations that artificial intelligence cannot."
Lane says, like it or not, worship will continue to evolve. It started with simple clapping and tapping of the feet; it now includes keyboard, organ, drums, and guitars.
Lane says he wouldn't say no to certain elements of AI, but he doesn't want to take out the personal element that's critical to empathizing and sympathizing with those who come to worship.
The BBC wondered how AI will affect religion in this story:
Back in Texas, Pastor Cooper says it might be one-and-done for his complete AI service. "We will not be using ChatGPT again to generate a worship service," he says. "As for AI's potential in ministry, that's yet to be seen."
That said, Cooper says he believes God can speak truth through any means possible, including AI.
