Digital Divinity: How Users Rely on Chatbots for Spiritual Insight
The number of AI chatbot users for spiritual needs continues to soar.
AI-powered chatbots are on the rise. While they play a growing role in spiritual life, no one foresaw a soaring use among AI users. The New York Times has examined the popularity of religious chatbots and apps.
Thriving Popularity
The Times notes that an app called Bible Chat has been downloaded more than 30 million times, while another app, Hallow, reached the number one spot in Apple’s App Store last year.
For the most part, these apps are supposed to point people to religious doctrine and scripture to answer their questions, although at least one website purports to allow users to chat with God. Rabbi Jonathan Roman suggested chatbots could be a “way into faith” for “a whole generation of people who have never been to a church or synagogue.”
However, these chatbots are built on top of AI models that are designed to validate users’ opinions, to the point that they can reinforce delusional or conspiratorial thinking. Heidi Campbell, a Texas A&M professor who studies the intersection of digital culture and religion, warned that chatbots “tell us what we want to hear.”
“It’s not using spiritual discernment, it is using data and patterns,” Campbell said.
