A concerned Catholic: My son, in his late twenties, recently broke up with his girlfriend. I was horrified when he told me that he is dating, not a human, but an AI character. Please tell me that I am not just being old-fashioned. Surely our faith has something to say on the subject?”
Chaplain: Our faith certainly does have something to say on the subject. We live in a world which, if described in a science fiction novel a generation ago, would have been dismissed as far-fetched and fantastical. AI offers great opportunities and challenges. An app launched in 2024 introduced an AI priest, Fr Justin, to answer basic questions about Catholicism. He was withdrawn after providing incorrect information about Baptism and claiming to be able to absolve users’ sins. AI apps cannot offer an authentic substitute for human relationships or spiritual growth, which cannot be reduced to an algorithm managing vast amounts of data to provide responses to given scenarios.
