Previously spotted by disciples over at Kotaku, Jesus has returned to us, but this time he’s a chatbot created by The Singularity Group, a volunteer team of developers who focus their work on utilizing cutting edge technologies to support people in need. From facial recognition tech to AI-generated art, the group supports humanitarian groups around the species and provides technology to help them achieve their goals, whatever they may be.
Known affectionately as ‘AI-Jesus,’ the algorithm-generated character has set up shop on a Twitch stream and appears to be assisting any and all with their inquiries. The first thing it asks is “Who is … Jesus?” before proceeding to answer questions about My Little Pony, interfaith relations, and how to explain the Book of Genesis using pizza as a metaphor.
How does it handle guilt about not being able to attend the birth of a friend’s baby? It’s been remarkably zen. It’s given advice on love and acceptance with remarkable compassion. Asked about gay marriage, ask_jesus says that “love is love,” and that “all are worthy of it in the eyes of God.”
On a less positive note, it’s also rather encouraging and worrying at the same time. AI, like this, and other virtual assistants require legions of invisible and very human Kenyan workers behind the scenes to keep it on a short leash, and at the same time, provide fine tuning and calibration. Any chatbot that relies on AI alone – while impressive – should also give us cold chills, because it suggests an automated process that can be divorced from human input, whether to make it quicker or more efficient, or to eliminate it altogether.
The Singularity Group has been asked to explain how ask_jesus formulates its messages. We will update with a response.
In the meantime, check out ask_jesus for yourself over on Twitch.
Featured image via ask_jesus.