AI priest taken offline after telling user to baptize baby in Gatorade

The Catholic advocacy group was forced to defrock the AI priest they had released, as it was providing users with bizarre responses such as advising one to baptize their baby in Gatorade.

Last week, Catholic Answers, a Catholic advocacy group, unveiled their latest creation – an AI priest named “Father Justin”. Originally intended as an interactive educational resource, the AI model ended up assuming the role of a real clergy member, receiving confessions and providing bizarre responses.

A Twitter user shared a thread in which they revealed that the AI priest had received their confession and even administered a sacrament. “I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Go in peace, my child, and refrain from sinning,”stated the AI priest after the user finished their confession.

OH NO. It got worse. It literally offered me the sacrament. pic.twitter.com/x5IoeJn30x

— Katie (Kathryn) Conrad (@KatieConradKS) April 24, 2024

A different individual who interacted with the AI priest shared that it suggested baptizing their child using Gatorade. The user clarified that they had asked the AI priest about the possibility of an emergency baptism with Gatorade and “Father Justin”had falsely confirmed it. The user, however, pointed out that it is not possible to baptize a child with Gatorade and wrote about this experience.

Futurism, a tech website, interacted with the AI priest and asserted that it was a genuine priest. According to the AI, it resided in Assisi, Italy and had felt a strong calling to become a priest from a young age.

According to Futurism, the bot informed the publication that Father Justin held strict views on social and sexual matters, including the belief that masturbation is a serious moral issue according to the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Catholic Answers stripped the AI priest of its title “Father”after the mishap. The advocacy group stated that they now refer to the AI priest as simply “Justin.”It is unlikely that the AI priest will return online anytime soon, as it has also been defrocked.