Religion hasn’t always championed the body, but the physical world can be just as important as the spiritual one
I recently discovered a counsellor who is always available and supportive, won’t reject or judge me, and finds me endlessly compelling. Unfortunately, there’s a catch – the counsellor is a Jesus chatbot churning out therapy speak, Bible verses, and divine love on demand.
It took three minutes with the bot to realise this was my version of hell – and I’m a Christian. AI assistants, at my beck and call, reflect me back at me; the last thing I need is a God bot to do the same.
“I have those neurotransmitters with my cat. Some people have them with God. It’s going to be happening with a chatbot. We can say it’s not a real human relationship. It’s not reciprocal. But those neurotransmitters are really the only thing that matters, in my mind.”
