(CSM) Computer-generated prayer? How AI is changing faith.

Some religious leaders have embraced ChatGPT as part of their efforts to engage with communities in innovative ways. In Germany, a Lutheran church recently offered a service created mostly by an AI chatbot. People packed the pews to listen to the experimental service, which was led by an avatar on a screen above the altar.

Religious organizations and leaders in the United States have utilized the emerging technology to a lesser degree. Rabbi Yonatan Dahlen, at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Michigan, says some of his Christian counterparts have used it for correspondence, marketing, and social media content.

At the same time, many spiritual leaders are wary of AI and believe it has limitations. Mr. Dahlen says he once tried using ChatGPT to write a D’var Torah, a short teaching about a passage of the Torah. He feels that a good D’var Torah comes from vulnerability and human experience. “AI can’t do that,” Mr. Dahlen says.

Dayal Gauranga is the executive director of Manhattan’s Bhakti Center, which represents Hinduism’s tradition of Bhakti Yoga. “What makes something powerful is when there’s a lived experience of something,” he says. “You’re not going to get that just by generating a message about it.”

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