Artificial Intelligence is a protagonist in a dialogue sermon in Catholic Church

Does AI Have a Soul? Pastor Challenges AI with Dialogue Sermon at Sunday Service

Herr Wehrli is a married man who has been given a parish chaplaincy.  A pseudo-clerical

The Pope has written an encyclical on artificial intelligence (AI). It will be published shortly. A few days later, parish chaplain Thomas Wehrli (57) will hold a service at St. Eusebius Church in Grenchen focusing on AI and human dignity. He will stage a dialogue sermon between a human and a machine.

"God created man in his image. Now man is creating the machine – and giving it power over life and death. This is no longer science fiction, this is the present," is how Thomas Wehrli, parish chaplain in Grenchen and Bettlach, in the Solothurn pastoral region of Wandflue, outlines his view of the new technology.

Wanted to be a priest even as a child

"We are currently experiencing a historic upheaval," says theologian Thomas Wehrli, who worked for 30 years as a journalist in various media outlets and also served for several years as the right-hand man of a member of the Aargau cantonal government. For the past three years, he has found fulfillment in his new profession as a parish chaplain. Even as a child, he wanted to become a priest, the 57-year-old, who is married, explained to kath.ch.

"For the first time, humankind has not simply created a machine, but a system that mimics language, thought, and human behavior."

But back to AI. Thomas Wehrli describes himself as a critical AI user. He understands the fascination of this technology. And he knows its pitfalls—including its fallibility and its incorrect answers.

"For the first time, humankind has not simply created a machine, but a system that mimics language, thought, and human behavior—and thus raises the question of what still makes humans unique."

In dialogue with AI as a sermon

In a dialogue sermon, the likes of which he believes has never been heard before, he will challenge AI during the service "for all those who still have questions" on Sunday, May 31, at 10 a.m. in the Eusebius Church in Grenchen.

"I will use voice communication to converse with ChatGPT or another AI and try to engage it in a conversation. Live, without any pretense." Questions he wants to explore during his dialogue sermon, questions that concern him, include: Does AI have a soul? Or do we slowly lose our own in our interactions with it?

"The crucial question is not whether AI will eventually become human," Wehrli is convinced. "The crucial question is whether humanity will remain human when thinking, deciding, and even empathy are increasingly taken over or simulated by machines." The service promises to be interesting, as it will also cover other topics related to AI.

*The AI ​​service will take place on Sunday, May 31st, at 10 a.m. in the Eusebius Church in Grenchen.

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