Catholic Answers, a San Diego-based lay Catholic organization, had set up an Artificial Intelligence (AI) animated priest, complete with a white collar, priestly vestments, and a beard, who would answer questions about the Catholic faith, the Western Journal reports.
The AI called Father Justin was named after Justin Martyr, who was beheaded for his faith by the Romans around 165 AD.
The goal was to have the AI priest serve as a search engine of sorts.
“Although this is not a substitute for human interaction with a priest, teacher, or spiritual advisor, we believe it can be a valuable tool to help our users better understand and articulate the teachings of the Catholic Church,” Catholic Answers stated in its news release.
However, after receiving numerous complaints that Father Justin’s cartoonish look demeaned both real priests and their calling, the Catholic organization was forced to almost immediately defrock him.
