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Would you trust an "AI Jesus" with your innermost thoughts and troubles? Researchers and religious leaders on Wednesday released findings from a two-month experiment through art in a Catholic chapel in Switzerland, where an avatar of "Jesus" on a computer screen — tucked into a confessional — took questions by visitors on faith, morality and modern-day woes, and offered responses based on Scripture. Related video above: How AI-generated news sites threaten election integrity The idea, said the chapel's theological assistant, was to recognize the growing importance of artificial intelligence in human lives, even when it comes to religion, and explore the limits of human trust in a machine. After the two-month run of the "Deus in Machina" exhibit at Peter's Chapel starting in late August, some 900 conversations from visitors — some came more than once — were transcribed anonymously. Those behind the project said it was largely a success: Visitors often came out moved or deep in thought, and found it easy to use. A small sign invited visitors to enter a confessional — chosen for its intimacy — and below a lattice screen across which penitent believers would usually speak with a priest, a green light signaled the visitor's turn to speak, and a red one came on when "AI Jesus" on a computer screen on the other side was responding. Often, a lag time was needed to wait for the response — a testament to the technical complexities. After exiting, nearly 300 visitors filled out questionnaires that informed the report released Wednesday. Philipp Haslbauer, an IT specialist at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts who pulled together the technical side of the project, said the AI responsible for taking the role of "AI Jesus" and generating responses was GPT-4o by OpenAI, and an open-source version of the company's Whisper was used for speech comprehension. An AI video generator from Heygen was used to produce voice and video from a real person, he said. Haslbauer said no specific safeguards were used "because we observed GPT-4o to respond fairly well to controversial topics." Visitors broached many topics, including true love, the afterlife, feelings of solitude, war and suffering in the world, the existence of God, plus issues like sexual abuse cases in the Catholic Church or its position on homosexuality. Most visitors described themselves as Christians, though agnostics, atheists, Muslims, Buddhists and Taoists took part too, according to a recap of the project released by the Catholic parish of Lucerne. About one-third were German speakers, but "AI Jesus" — which is conversant in about 100 languages — also had conversations in languages like Chinese, English, French, Hungarian, Italian, Russian and Spanish. "What was really interesting (was) to see that the people really talked with him in a serious way. They didn't come to make jokes," said chapel theologian Marco Schmid, who spearheaded the project. Most visitors were aged 40 to 70, and more Catholic respondents found the experience stimulating than did Protestants, the report showed. Schmid was quick to point out that the "AI Jesus" — billed as a "Jesus-like" persona — was an artistic experiment to get people thinking about the intersection between the digital and the divine, not substitute for human interaction or sacramental confessions with a priest, nor was it intended to save pastoral resources. "For the people, it was clear that it was a computer ... It was clear it was not a confession," Schmid said. "He wasn't programmed to give absolutions or prayers. At the end, it was more summary of the conversation." The Catholic Church, from the Vatican on down, has been wrestling with the challenges — and possible opportunities — presented by the explosion in public interest in AI since generative artificial intelligence captured the world's attention two years ago when OpenAI's ChatGPT made its debut. The Vatican has appointed a friar from a medieval Franciscan order as its top expert on AI, and a Lutheran church in Bavaria served up sermons delivered by a chatbot last year. Pope Francis, in his annual peace message for this year, pushed for an international treaty to ensure the ethical use of AI technology. Chatbots like ChatGPT are powered by algorithmic models trained on vast pools of text and other data to mimic speech and generate seemingly unique and human-like responses. Haslbauer is sensitive to public reaction and has noted chatter on social media saying the project is "blasphemous" or the "work of the devil." "If you read comments on the internet about it, some are very negative — which is scary," Haslbauer, whose long-haired look featured as a basis for the image of the virtual Jesus. In a demonstration of the technology in the chapel, Haslbauer queried "AI Jesus" about its message for a troubled world, and about whether AI could be helpful as a way for people to find God. "All knowledge and wisdom ultimately come from God," the chatbot said in a soothing voice, after a pause to respond, and the image briefly crackled. "If used wisely, AI can indeed be a tool to explore the wonders of creation, deepen our understanding of Scripture, and foster connections among people." "Yet it remains essential to seek God with all your heart and soul beyond any technology," it added. Kenneth Cukier — a journalist, author and expert with the U.S.-based nonprofit group called "AI and Faith" — said if "AI Jesus" helps people connect deeper to themselves and the world, it "has to be a good thing." "It will lead to better individuals and a better world," he said. "However — and there's a big however — this does feel a little bit infantile, and pardon my pun, machine-like." "The risk is that it pulls people, ultimately, farther away from that which is more meaningful, deeper and authentic in spirituality," said Cukier, the co-author of "Big Data: A Revolution that Will Transform How We Work, Live and Think." For Schmid, the exhibit was a pilot project — and he doesn't foresee a second coming of "AI Jesus" anytime soon. "For us, it was also clear it was just a limited time that we will expose this Jesus," he said, adding that any return would need to be done after deeper thought. "We are discussing ... how we could revive him again," he said, noting interest from parishes, schoolteachers, researchers and others as the project got media attention in Switzerland and beyond. "They all are interested and would like to have this 'AI Jesus.' So we have now a little bit to reflect on how we want to continue." ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. —— The Associated Press and OpenAI have a licensing and technology agreement that allows OpenAI access to part of AP's text archives.

NoneMen unsure how to drive change for domestic violenceWhen dockworkers walked the picket line in October, the strike lasted for 3 days. And if a new contract between their 45,000 member union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance isn't signed by mid-January — a longer strike could send inflation going in the wrong direction. Just months after a strike at Gulf and East Coast ports ended, operators and union members are now at an impasse — once again — over automation. Port operators say they need more technology to increase port efficiency, improve safety and to control costs. But union members say no, because some workers will lose their jobs. A new strike could come if an agreement isn't reached by January 15. And if that happens inflation could increase, when goods aren't flowing in an out of ports as quickly. Thursday union leaders met with President-elect Donald trump at Mar-a-Lago and walked away with his support. Writing about automation on Truth social, Trump said "the amount of money saved is nowhere near the distress, hurt, and harm it causes for American workers," and that foreign countries "...shouldn't be looking for every last penny knowing how many families are hurt." RELATED STORY | Billions of dollars of U.S. economic activity halted as port workers enter day two of their strike Professor Todd Belt of George Washington University called it Trump striking a different path than he did during his first term. "During the first Trump term you had Donald Trump, surrounded by a lot of people who were suggested to him by incumbent Republicans who had really a Republican orthodoxy on free trade. Donald trump now is going to be surrounded by a lot of people who support his ideas of interventionism and tariffs, as well as other trade policies that will protect working people at the expense of, of course, inflation," Belt said. The International Longshoremen's Association has until Jan. 15 to negotiate a new contract with the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies. At the heart of the dispute is whether ports can install automated gates, cranes and container-moving trucks that could make it faster to unload and load ships. The union argues that automation would lead to fewer jobs, even though higher levels of productivity could do more to boost the salaries of remaining workers. The Maritime Alliance said in a statement that the contract goes beyond ports to "supporting American consumers and giving American businesses access to the global marketplace — from farmers, to manufacturers, to small businesses, and innovative start-ups looking for new markets to sell their products." "To achieve this, we need modern technology that is proven to improve worker safety, boost port efficiency, increase port capacity, and strengthen our supply chains," said the alliance, adding that it looks forward to working with Trump. In October, the union representing 45,000 dockworkers went on strike for three days, raising the risk that a prolonged shutdown could push up inflation by making it difficult to unload container ships and export American products overseas. The issue pits an incoming president who won November's election on the promise of bringing down prices against commitments to support blue-collar workers along with the kinds of advanced technology that drew him support from Silicon Valley elite such as billionaire Elon Musk. Trump sought to portray the dispute as being between U.S. workers and foreign companies, but advanced ports are also key for staying globally competitive. China is opening a $1.3 billion port in Peru that could accommodate ships too large for the Panama Canal. There is a risk that shippers could move to other ports, which could also lead to job losses. Mexico is constructing a port that is highly automated, while Dubai, Singapore and Rotterdam already have more advanced ports. "For the great privilege of accessing our markets, these foreign companies should hire our incredible American Workers, instead of laying them off, and sending those profits back to foreign countries," Trump posted. "It is time to put AMERICA FIRST!" The Associated Press contributed to this report.

What do an award-winning chocolatier, a magnificent mushroom maestro and a brilliant bug scientist have in common? They’re all coming to Womad Aotearoa in 2025. Nestled in a picturesque pocket of Brooklands Park, the OMV Steam Lab is Womad’s home of curiosity and innovation, and a thriving hub of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Womad’s associate programme director Josie Hunter-Annand has spent months hunting out some of the greatest minds in Aotearoa and curating a line-up filled with exciting advances in science, fascinating innovations and even a collaboration to create a deliciously decadent Womad chocolate bar. The line-up for 2025’s OMV Steam Lab was unveiled on November 27 and includes sessions on chocolate making, the extraordinary diversity of orchids, the science of sleep, the art of creating music, the magic of marine mammal conservation, the opulence of interior and garden design, the beauty of bugs and the fun of foraging fungi. Sure to be a popular session, multi-award-winning chocolatiers Wellington Chocolate Factory (WCF) will take to the stage to reveal the sweet science behind their limited edition Womad chocolate bar.Which countries in Europe have banned or want to restrict smartphones in schools?ATLANTA — To improve Georgia’s troubled prison system, the General Assembly should hike correctional officer salaries, consider more private-public partnerships to expand capacity, increase mental health services and move to single-person cells to improve safety. Those are among a slate of recommendations that a state Senate study committee approved Friday, following hours of testimony at a series of meetings that began in August. Other recommendations that won approval include asking for an audit of contracts to identify any excessive vendor costs, ordering a compensation study, prioritizing new technology to improve security at current and new facilities, and taking action to make sure wardens adhere to consistent policies to prevent culture differences among facilities. The committee also recommended that the state seek federal approval to jam cellphone signals at prisons. Prisoners have used cellphones to run criminal enterprises from inside the prisons, including directing drug trafficking networks and operating various fraud schemes. But the committee voted against a recommendation to create an independent oversight department or bureau to monitor the state prison’s system. “Oversight is provided by regular committees, subcommittees and study committees, and I’m not sure we need to create yet another level,” said GOP Sen. John Albers in opposing the recommendation. The study committee chairman, GOP Sen. Randy Robertson also opposed the idea, saying he doesn’t favor an ombudsman process that doesn’t answer to anyone. “I think a part of oversight is what we’re doing right now,” he said. The study committee, created by the Senate in March , reached its recommendation after hearing more testimony Friday morning, primarily from advocates, people whose loved ones had died in custody, and people who had served sentences in Georgia. Most of the previous meetings focused on testimony from the Georgia Department of Corrections. Friday’s testimony included stories of rampant violence, deaths and inadequate health care experienced by those in prison. Suspicious deaths that weren’t properly investigated were also mentioned during the meeting. That included the testimony of Heather Hunt, whose son died at Rogers State Prison in September. She was told the death was a suicide, but she said prison officials were hostile to her questions and delayed providing information that didn’t add up when it was provided. In the wake of hearing the morning testimony, GOP Sen. Timothy Bearden suggested that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation should be brought in to investigate all deaths within Georgia’s prisons. Now, the GBI handles autopsies, but the GDC’s internal investigators handle most of the death investigations. Robertson said it’s generally up to GDC Commissioner Tyrone Oliver to decide whether to call in the GBI. Robertson said it might make sense to routinely rely on the GBI, although the committee did not plan to include the suggestion in its report. “One thing that it does is it takes the suspicion out of the mix and the conspiracy theories tend to go away when that happens,” Robertson said. Homicides within the Georgia prison system have reached record levels this year, the AJC has found. The General Assembly will take up the recommendations when it convenes in January. The Georgia General Assembly has faced increasing scrutiny in recent months in the wake of an AJC investigation , a blistering report issued in October by the U.S. Department of Justice and a highly critical contempt order issued in April by a federal judge in a long-running civil case . Gov. Brian Kemp announced in June that he had hired consultants to conduct a deep study of the prison system and recommend changes to improve conditions. The Georgia Department of Corrections has said it is making progress toward addressing problems within the prison system. ©2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.