CATHOLIC ANSWERS UNVEILS ‘FATHER JUSTIN,’ AN AI PRIEST — UPDATED
Welcome to 2024. Catholic Answers is now using a computer-generated “priest” to answer questions.
Color me skeptical. And a little weirded-out. UPDATE: I’m not the only one. Scroll to the bottom for an update. “Father Justin” is now offering absolution for sins.
Details, from X:
Catholic Answers, the number-one lay Catholic apostolate of apologetics and evangelization, is excited to announce the release of our new “Father Justin” interactive AI app. This innovative digital application employs the latest artificial intelligence technology to provide users with faithful and educational answers to questions about Catholicism. Seekers may also engage in a back-and-forth interaction to pursue further information with the 3D AI character.
“Our goal with the Father Justin app is to leverage the power of large language models—or ‘LLMs’—to create an engaging and informative experience for those exploring the Catholic faith,” says Chris Costello, director of I.T. at Catholic Answers. “Although this is not a substitute for human interaction with a priest, teacher, or spiritual advisor, we believe it can be a valuable tool to help our users better understand and articulate the teachings of the Catholic faith.”
The decision to use a parish priest character was purposeful. “We wanted to convey the spirit and nature of the responses users can expect—authoritative yet approachable, drawing from the deep well of Catholic tradition and teaching,” Costello explains. “We believe that the presentation of Father Justin honors real-life priests and the role they play in people’s lives, yet we are confident that our users will not mistake the AI for a human being.”
The name “Father Justin” was chosen for this AI priest as a tribute to St. Justin Martyr, an early Christian convert and Church Father who is one of the patron saints of apologetics. The Father Justin app is available now on the Catholic Answers website, catholic.com. Users are encouraged to explore the app, utilize the search feature on the site for additional resources, and seek guidance from their local parish priests or spiritual advisors on serious matters or for further clarification. As a leading Catholic apostolate, Catholic Answers is committed to leveraging the latest technologies to advance its mission of explaining and defending the Catholic faith. The Father Justin app is the latest example of this commitment, providing a new and appealing way for searchers to begin or continue their journey of faith.
There’s more here.
Meanwhile, Eric Sammons at Crisis weighs in:
Not only is “Father Justin” dressed as a priest, but in one answer “he” gave me, “he” actually started his answer with, “As a Catholic priest…” I understand this was done to give “him” a certain air of authority; as Catholic Answers said, “We wanted to convey the spirit and nature of the responses users can expect—authoritative yet approachable.”
But there’s a reason impersonating a priest is a serious canonical crime: a priest is sacramentally “another Christ” and gets his authority not from knowing the most Catholic theology, but from his ordination. Having a lay person as the AI character would definitely make it seem less authoritative and less distinctly Catholic to the average user, but I’m not sure making “him” a priest was for the best…
… I understand that the reality is that we live in a world where many people engage in question-and-answer exchanges with AI, so having a faithfully Catholic option is an understandable desire of many Catholics. Yet I can’t help but think that there’s deeper issues here, ones that threaten to undermine a Catholic incarnational understanding of the world, all while sincerely trying to advance Catholicism.
I think the backlash against this is growing. What seemed like a foolish idea is turning out to be an awful misjudgment. I predict “Father Justin” will be laicized very soon.
Another dissenting voice belongs to Amy Welborn:
The issue, it seems to me – is in the dynamic element – that Fr. Bot is “answering” “your questions” in the present. We all know that when we enter queries into search engines or through AI elements what we receive is fallible and incomplete. We hope it’s as complete as possible, but we know – especially now – that what we receive is mediated and incomplete.
Anyone will know this is true of Fr. Bot as well, but the appearance of having these results conveyed involving the image of a “priest” with a name implies an authority that the answers just do not have.
Finally, this is not the “evangelization” anyone needs right now. We need more actual human beings, we need a call to find the answers to our questions in person, in community, IRL.
No comments:
Post a Comment