--- title: "AI Now Claiming to Be God" description: "Religious smartphone apps are allowing untold millions of users to confess to AI chatbots, some of which claim to be channeling God himself." date: "2025-09-16" modified: "2025-09-16" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/ai-claiming-god" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Future Society" tags: - "ai chatbots" - "artificial intelligence" - "chatgpt" - "christianity" - "religion" --- # AI Now Claiming to Be God ![Religious smartphone apps are allowing untold millions of users to confess to AI chatbots, some of which claim to be channeling God himself.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* A slew of religious smartphone apps are allowing untold millions of users to confess to AI chatbots, some of which claim to be channeling God himself. As the [*New York Times* reports](), Apple's App Store is teeming with Christian chatbot apps. One "prayer app," called Bible Chat, claims to be the number one faith app in the world, boasting over 25 million users. "Our AI was trained exclusively on Scripture and developed with guidance from Christian pastors and theologians," the [company's website]() boasts. "Greetings, my child," a service called ChatWithGod.ai told one user, as quoted by the *NYT*. "The future is in God’s merciful hands. Do you trust in His divine plan?" Religious leaders told the *NYT* that these tools could serve as a critical entry point for those looking to find God. "There is a whole generation of people who have never been to a church or synagogue," A British rabbi named Jonathan Romain told the paper. "Spiritual apps are their way into faith." Instead of going on long pilgrimages or driving to the closest place of worship, users can simply turn to AI chatbots to seek spiritual guidance. It's a fascinating new development, especially considering the language surrounding companies attempting to "[build God]()" by developing an AI that can vastly surpass human intelligence. However, while users are finding that chatbots are an accessible way to get in touch with their religious side, they're not much more than a cheap parlor trick behind the scenes, essentially reshuffling holy texts by using clever statistical modeling. Worse yet, experts worry that [AI's strong tendency]() to please the user may have unintended consequences. The AIs "tell us what we want to hear," Texas A&M technology and religion professor Heidi Campbell told the *NYT*. "It’s not using spiritual discernment, it is using data and patterns." Researchers have also warned that countless people are using AI chatbots [for companionship](), which in extreme cases are [driving some into dangerous spirals of delusion]() in the form of "[AI psychosis]()." "It shouldn’t be something where it replaces human connection," prayer app Hallow founder Alex Jones told the *NYT*. "It does not have a soul from the church’s perspective." In short, it's a dystopian new spin on spirituality in the digital age — and one that just might be poised to change the face of religion itself. **More on AI and God:** *[A Bunch of Incredibly Sleazy AI Apps Are Claiming to Be Jesus Christ Himself]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()