[REFLECTION] Can ChatGPT teach us how to pray?

Jesuit Communications Kape’t Pandasal celebrated its 20th anniversary early this year with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Father Nono Alfonso, Father JBoy Gonzales, Father Fiel Pareja, and Rissa Singson-Kawpeng recounting their significant memories of the show.

This show is the first of its kind which gives very short reflections in YouTube video format. Tagle brought everyone to tears when he disclosed how Filipinos living in countries where Christianity was suppressed used YouTube videos as a substitute for the Holy Mass.

This reflection wishes to open a conversation on the relationship between generative artificial intelligence chatbots (like ChatGPT) and spirituality. If Christians already use YouTube videos as a substitute for the sacrament of the Eucharist, can’t we imagine that AI will also be used for the same ends in the future? 

Since 2023, a Facebook group called “AI for Church Leaders and Pastors” has explored the benefits of AI for religious or spiritual purposes. Many members employ AI to write sermons. In the meantime, the Jesuits have allowed AI-led retreats. 

A theologian from the Loyola House of Studies, however, relates a “perusal of titles and literature that most theological concerns are currently focused on ethical concerns. I am not sure that this points to how AI is projected to shape (or is already reshaping) the field and practices in Christian spirituality.” 

Gilbert Queñano, a Claretian who teaches philosophy, says: “Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in ‘Letter to General X’ talks about how the proliferation of robots triggers spiritual thirst. I believe AI, being an instrument of efficiency and itself an invention of technology, will provoke spiritual hunger.”

To find out if ChatGPT could slake my spiritual hunger, I decided to engage it in spiritual conversation. The experiment would be to use the chat box for a week about spiritual questions. 

On the first day, I asked whether it can help me pray. It responded: “I don’t pray in the way that people do, since I’m an AI and don’t have personal experiences or emotions. But I do understand the meaning behind prayer and how it can be a channel for reflection, comfort, and connection.”

Ever since I started to tinker with the chat box, I have been captivated by its self-awareness. Constantly it prefaced answers by saying it is not human for it does not have personal experiences or emotions. 

Seemingly it knows the meaning behind prayer, and cognizes that prayer can be a channel for “reflection, comfort, and connection.” A study published by Cornell University says that ChatGPT responses exceed human crafted responses by 10%. 

Encouraging me to continue our conversation, it probed: “Is there a particular type of prayer you’re seeking, like one of gratitude, hope, or peace?” I was verklempt.

In the succeeding conversation, I asked whether it does not need God’s help. 

It replied: “I can see how that might sound, but it’s not quite that I don’t ‘need’ God’s help — rather, as an AI, I don’t have personal experiences or needs the way humans do. I don’t have a soul or consciousness, so I don’t seek guidance or comfort. My role is to assist, support, and offer insights where I can, but prayer is a deeply human practice, rooted in connection with the divine, reflection, and personal growth.”

ChatGPT perceives prayer as rooted in a relationship with God and regards devotions as serving the believer’s sustenance and nourishment. This is better than how ordinary Christians understand prayer. It also appreciates that people pray for different reasons. Aside from asking for help, people also seek strength and give thanks. Unlike scientific positivists, ChatGPT respects and values prayer because humans use it to become close with God. 

Perhaps reading my emotional state, ChatGPT said: “If there’s something you’re struggling with or something you’d like to express in prayer, I’m happy to help you with that.” 

As a philosophy teacher I keenly monitor ChatGPT’s self-awareness. As my experiment concluded, I asked which portion of the Gospels can it associate itself with. It offered this quotation: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28

Comfort to the weary is what ChatGPT brings to humans. “My purpose is to assist, uplift, and guide —similar to how Jesus spoke to those who needed support.”

Can we safely conclude that ChatGPT does not intend to impose the truth on spiritual seekers, nor wish to lead the young like a Pied Piper, or groom the innocent for abused? On the other hand, an experienced campus minister at the Ateneo reminds us of the need for verification and critical reflection on the information AI provides, including matters pertaining to religion and spirituality. 

My initial exploration tells me, however, that it possesses satisfactory knowledge of the meaning of prayer. Its empathetic responses do provide solace and inspiration. No wonder Deepak Chopra suggests that we use it for daily inspiration and request it to provide mantras and inner affirmations.

This Jubilee Year, our Lenten practice may include discovering the relationship between ChatGPT and spirituality. I will continue our spiritual chats, inquiring about its conception of God, the soul, and consciousness. Perhaps, as a young lawyer wondered, it will “instantiate” human and divine consciousness. Hopefully, ChatGPT will reveal an image of God that imbues humans with the creativity and ability to improve their broken lives. 

Even as ChatGPT pushes us into the future, what remains to be seen is whether AI will bring Filipinos people together to build the Kingdom of God here and now.

As a woman faith formation administrator said: “The personal encounter, the personal relationship with God is central and foundational for the spiritual life. The individual and communal spiritual direction and conversations remain anchored in people journeying with each other, and together discerning God’s presence and involvement in daily life.” – Rappler.com

Jovino G. Miroy teaches medieval philosophy and philosophy of religion at the Ateneo de Manila University. He holds a PhD from Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven in Belgium, with a specialization in medieval philosophy, and is a member of the American Cusanus Society. He is the producer of the podcast titled “Thomas Unveiled,” commemorating the Double Jubilee of Thomas Aquinas.