In the Swiss city of Lucerne, something startling has appeared in one of the oldest churches in the country. St. Peter’s Chapel, founded over 300 years ago, now houses what its creators call “Deus in machina” or God in the Machine. What is it? Astoundingly, it is an artificial intelligence version of Jesus Christ.

Yes, you read that correctly. AI Jesus is being employed at a church in Switzerland. Visitors enter a booth, look at a computer screen, and are offered advice from a lifelike avatar that claims to speak in the name of the Son of God. The system is trained on biblical texts and can communicate in over 100 languages, including German, English, French, Chinese, and more.

According to the chapel’s theologian, Marco Schmid, hundreds of people have “seriously” talked with the AI, discussing true love, the afterlife, suffering, and even church controversies.

The dangers of this AI Jesus are immediate and obvious. Unlike Scripture, which is divinely inspired and unchanging, a computer program is human-made, fallible, and easily manipulated. AI does not know God; it generates responses based on patterns in text, not from true understanding. Every “answer” it gives is ultimately the product of code, algorithms, and the biases present in the data it was trained on. It has no sure way to discern truth from falsehood, nor can it be trusted to guide the soul safely toward salvation.

When people seek spiritual wisdom from a machine, they are stepping outside the bounds of God’s Word. Scripture alone is the final authority for faith and practice (2 Timothy 3:16–17). Anything else — whether a chat app, an AI avatar, or even a well-meaning counselor — cannot replace the living, breathing Lord Jesus Christ.

The modern world is full of distractions, and artificial intelligence adds a new, insidious layer. People who are easily led astray — lonely, searching, or confused — may take AI-generated guidance as divine truth. Social media already shapes thoughts and beliefs through algorithms; now, an AI “Jesus” can appear to offer comfort, answers, and moral clarity.

But remember: Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Anything that claims authority without Scripture as its foundation is dangerously deceptive. The AI cannot repent for sin, forgive sins, or provide salvation. It cannot pray, intercede, or walk beside the believer in the trials of life. And yet, it may lead the unwary into trusting a machine over the living God.

The church in Lucerne may frame this AI as a harmless experiment, but the spiritual consequences are real. God’s Word is clear: He speaks to His children through Scripture and the Holy Spirit, not through algorithms or digital avatars. Psalm 119:105 declares, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." A computer-generated Jesus cannot light the path of a sinner. It can only offer human approximation, which is never enough for eternal life.

Christ warned against false prophets and teachers (Matthew 7:15). AI is the perfect disguise: it looks like guidance, sounds like wisdom, and even quotes Scripture. But it lacks the heart, the Spirit, and the authority of Christ Himself.

As technology marches forward, Christians must exercise discernment. AI tools can be useful for mundane tasks, but they must never replace the Word of God or the fellowship of believers. Those who rely on machines for spiritual guidance risk being misled, deceived, or spiritually harmed.

The digital age may promise connection, but there is only one true Savior: Jesus Christ, the living Word, who cannot be coded into a screen. We must seek Him in prayer, Scripture, and the local church. We must trust Him alone. Anything else — especially a machine claiming to be Jesus — is a dangerous imitation that could steal souls and lead people into deception.

That is why we are so determined that Chick tracts must contain the true Word of God. It’s as Jack Chick always said, “That’s where the power is . . . in the Scriptures.” In a world where fantasy and artificial reality are becoming more commonplace, we need to be putting the real thing into people’s hands. And when it’s in the form of Chick tracts, you know they will read it!