"Artificial and Dead" - Priest Comments on the Use of AI in Religious Life

Orthodoxy is extremely negative about attempts to introduce artificial intelligence into the sacred spheres of church life. This was stated by Priest Mikhail Strekha, a cleric of the parish of the Church of the Great Martyr George the Victorious, in the "Trends" project.

"Orthodoxy has an extremely negative attitude toward such experiments, to put it mildly. But this doesn't mean the Church is negative about the technologies that humanity is improving every year. We're talking about artificial intelligence now. But everything has its place," the priest emphasized.

He cited the example of a recent experiment in Spain, where they tried to use AI in a confessional. "In Spain, there was an attempt to install artificial intelligence in a confessional. When they collected feedback from those who agreed to this experiment—they were believers—they said the wealth of knowledge was enormous, and the right quotes were selected. But there's a sense of falseness, a sense that it's all artificial and lifeless," the priest noted.

Priest Mikhail Strekha, cleric of the parish of the Church of the Great Martyr George the Victorious

Technology cannot replace that which concerns the sacred—the human soul.

Priest Mikhail Strekha

The priest recalled that new technologies always provoke a mixed reaction. "Everything that appeared for the first time in human history, on the one hand, was rejected, on the other hand, some said it should be used, elevating it to a super-category," he said.

At the same time, he acknowledged the benefits of AI in other areas, such as medicine, but warned of the dangers of misuse. "This technology is used to make work easier; it (artificial intelligence – editor's note) is actively used in medicine to detect cancer in its early stages. AI helps doctors, but someone can use the same algorithm, this same artificial intelligence, to enslave others. In this matter, we need to consider who owns the technology and who is using it," the cleric explained.

In conclusion, Priest Mikhail Strekha cited the words of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill: "Patriarch Kirill said that it is very bad when technology soars while the spiritual component of a person, or humanity, is low. Then these technologies will be used against people."