Technology and religion have been intertwined for millennia — so what’s different about AI?
Technology and religion have been intertwined for millennia — so what’s different about AI?
https://www.abc.net.au/religion/technology-and-religion-intertwined-for-millennia-ai/106406710
Publish Date: 2026-03-02 00:57:00
Source Domain: www.abc.net.au
In January, Pope Leo XIV warned against “a naive and unquestioning reliance on artificial intelligence as an omniscient ‘friend’, a source of all knowledge, an archive of every memory, an ‘oracle’ of all advice”.
This warning comes amid a proliferation of AI programs designed for companionship, advice and even intimate relationships. These AI are always there, 24/7, and they are always supportive and affectionate. By exploiting our need for relationships, Pope Leo wrote, these apps become “hidden architects of our emotional state”, creating a “world of mirrors around us”. While these programs seemingly fill a need for human relationships, there are others still that are filling a spiritual and religious need.
Pope Leo XIV speaks during an audience at the Paul VI Hall with young people of the Diocese of Rome on 10 January 2026 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Mario Tomassetti – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool / Getty Images)
People are using AI to talk to God through apps like Chatwithgod, Talkie and Text with Jesus. These facilitate conversation between worshipper and the divine, and can be personalised by choosing prompts for discussion topics, current mood and religious affiliation, for example. Part of the appeal of these uses of AI to talk to God is the fact that it feels highly individualised and immediate.
Unsurprisingly, however, many people exhibit an immediate and hostile reaction to such uses of technology. For them, “technology” and “God” remain worlds apart. There seems something inherently organic and personal about the pursuit of spirituality or a search for connection with the divine. This appears at odds with the cold feel of wires, black boxes and impersonal ones and zeros offered by technology. The last decade has dramatically changed the way people relate to technology. From spiritual chatbots to AI Bibles, we may very well question what these new technologies mean for the future of religion and human…
