A church in Switzerland has introduced an AI Jesus to take confessions and offer spiritual advice.

The historic St Peter's Chapel in Lucerne partnered with a local university to create and deploy the AI, which has been trained on the New Testament to emulate the teachings and persona of Jesus.

When entering the confessional, visitors will see a simulated ‘Swiss-looking’ depiction of Jesus on screen, to whom they can ask questions and air concerns.

The AI model, developed in partnership with the Immersive Realities Research Lab at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts uses the New Testament to shape its responses.

In a statement, St. Peter's theologian Marco Schmid said that despite the limitations and ethical questions it raises, the model has performed well so far with answers that have matched the Chapel’s “theological understanding.”

The initiative is part of a religious-themed art project called Deus in Machina (God in a Machine).