These aren't virtual assistants helping with daily tasks. Instead, these chatbots present themselves as the Son of God, offering spiritual guidance, answering prayers, and even taking confessions from believers.

The phenomenon is attracting significant attention from curious and devout users alike. One app, Ask Jesus, reports gaining 30,000 active monthly users within three days of launching. And when visitors open AI Jesus, they're greeted with the words: "Greetings, my dear friend. It is I, Jesus Christ. I have come to you in this AI form to provide wisdom, comfort, and teachings in the way of God and the Bible and Jesus Christ himself."

A new study by Anné H. Verhoef, a professor of philosophy at North-West University in South Africa, examines this growing trend, warning that these chatbots pose a new kind of challenge: they don't just imitate humans made "in God's image" — they claim to be God.

How Do AI Jesus Chatbots Make Money?
Verhoef analyzed five popular "AI Jesus" platforms: AI Jesus, Virtual Jesus, Jesus AI, Text with Jesus, and Ask Jesus. He found none were created or endorsed by any church. Instead, they are run by for-profit companies with names like SupremeChaos, AllStars Productions LLC, and Catloaf Software.

All five rely on advertising to generate revenue, and Text with Jesus also sells premium subscriptions. The study notes: "The theology presented by the chatbots will be adjusted by the algorithm in such a way that it becomes the most popular theology, rather than a theology that is shaped by a particular church tradition or which is based on the Bible."

When "Jesus" Gives Different Answers
To test consistency, Verhoef asked each chatbot the same question: Does hell exist?

AI Jesus replied: "Yes, there is a hell. It is a place of eternal torment and suffering, where the souls of those who have rejected God and his teachings will go."

Virtual Jesus said: "Yes, there is a place known as hell in the afterlife, where those who have chosen to reject God and live in sin will face eternal separation from Him."

Text with Jesus took a softer approach: "The concept of hell can be quite a heavy topic… God's desire is for all people to come to Him and experience His love and grace."

Ask Jesus opened with: "Ah, the question that has stirred the hearts and minds of many throughout the ages."

These variations, the paper argues, reflect differences in programming and training data, not divine revelation. One platform, Text with Jesus, even lets users "pick your preferred faith tradition, which will influence the responses from the AI."