With Christmas approaching, many are writing sermons they hope will do just that. Yet surveys show that Americans’ trust in clergy has hit a record low. More people now pray in their cars than in churches. Perhaps inevitably, tech bros in Silicon Valley are taking the wheel. “Text with Jesus”, an app built with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, allows users to pose personal and theological questions. Represented by an avatar with a well-trimmed hipster beard, the virtual Jesus responds with friendly nudges and quotes from scripture. “I hear you sister, honest doubt matters and you’re not alone in it,” he responds to an admission of scepticism about the resurrection.
