If you’ve always wanted to seek advice from Jesus Christ on personal matters or if you’ve wanted to ask questions to certain characters in the Bible, a newly-launched, AI-powered app will let you chat with some of Christianity’s most prominent characters or at least simulate a conversation with them.
If you could text with #Jesus, what would you say? A new #AI app uses #ChatGPT to impersonate many biblical figures, allowing users to instant message with them.
Check out https://t.co/IZ4feUrSd1 to read more.— New Media Religion (@nmrdcnetwork) August 9, 2023
Text With Jesus was launched last July by Cat Loaf Software, a Los Angeles-based app development firm. The app features an interface similar to instant messaging platforms, and biblical figures are impersonated by the artificial intelligence chatbot model ChatGPT.
Available characters on the app include the Holy Family (Jesus Christ, Mary, Joseph), the 12 apostles, prophets, Ruth, Job, and Abraham’s nephew, Lot.
The people who reject science sure don't mind using the technology it produces.
— Bob Loblaw (@SteveTrunk) August 9, 2023
But many Biblical figures in the app, including Mary Magdalene, can only be accessed in the app’s premium version, which costs around $2.99 per month. The app also has a “Chat With Satan” feature that users can activate if they prefer. The character signs off all his messages with a “smiling face with horns” emoji.
Cat Loaf Software, founded by 46-year-old developer Stéphane Peter, has released many static applications before showing historical figures like Text from the Founding Fathers, Text from Oscar Wilde, and recently, Text from Jesus, where users could receive quotes from the character during a conversation, but could not interact with them.
Stéphane Peter, who immigrated to the United States from France, wondered how to use AI to upgrade his Text from Jesus app when OpenAI released ChatGPT in 2022. He dug into ChatGPT and OpenAI and created a proper chat from what was once a simple Christian devotional app.
Been doing voice texts directly to Jesus most of my life, only I call it prayer
— Deann Alford (@DeannAlford) August 2, 2023
“Instead of just getting a daily Bible verse, now you get a chance through this app to chat with Jesus or anybody else in the Bible,” Peter said.
“We stir the AI and tell it: You are Jesus, or you are Moses, or whoever, and knowing what you already have in your database, you respond to the questions based on their characters,” he added.
But the Text With Jesus app has limitations. The characters in the app will formulate elaborate responses and incorporate at least one Bible verse, regardless of whether the user seeks personal relationship advice or asks complex theological questions.
"The app is a tool for reflection and learning, not a replacement for prayer or personal faith." #yet
— Jeremy Botts (@botts_jeremy) August 2, 2023
Peter explained that he trained the AI to “try to stick to the biblical tradition as hard as possible” and admitted that he didn’t work with theological advisers on the project. However, he did show the app's beta version to church leaders. While some pastors complained that the Jesus character in the app talked in an uptight tone, and some responses did not have Bible chapter and verse citations, Peter said he received some “pretty good feedback” from the professionals on the app’s final version.
“I updated it so it can speak more like a regular person and ensured it didn’t forget that it’s supposed to get stuff from the Bible. It’s a constant trick to find the right balance,” Peter said.
When the actual won’t return your calls and your internal monologue keeps coming up short, well, it’s as close to a miracle as one can get irl—the app told me so.
— Zac Evans (@zaclevans) August 8, 2023
The app’s launch drew mixed reactions from netizens on X, previously known as Twitter. While some users were amused at the app, others accused it of blasphemy and heresy.
“That’s a hard NO for me,” one user said.
Peter anticipated the criticism of the app but described it as “another way to explore Scripture.” He also acknowledged that the app would take a more tolerant and inclusive tone when users ask characters on the app about sensitive topics such as feminism and same-sex marriage.
