AI chatbots are becoming more commonplace, with some even coming into faith circles as so-called AI Jesus. But a recent study is showing that these AI Jesus chatbots may have some nefarious outcomes. For example, the AI from the “Ask Jesus” app greets users by making an alarming claim: “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.” According to a study by Anné H. Verhoef, a professor of philosophy at North-West University in South Africa, this isn’t an isolated incident.

Verhoef studied five different AI apps including “Ask Jesus,” as well as “AI Jesus,” “Virtual Jesus,” “Jesus AI,” and “Text with Jesus.” The first sign of trouble is that while such AI Jesus platforms claim to offer help through a biblical lens, none of theme is associated with a church. In fact, all five were started by for-profit companies, meaning there’s a serious financial incentive running behind these AI’s. Furthermore, the theology presented by these chatbots is more of a populist theology rather than sticking to any particular religious tradition. Responses to the same question, regarding Hell, for example, all came up with different responses from the AI’s, meaning their responses are much more about data than the “divine revelation” they present.

Verhoef said such programs were especially problematic because they were presenting themselves as God, rather than as an AI imitating humans. And it has some real-world consequences, such as one Reddit user who was duped by AI into an unhealth obsession. “I feel like I have discovered some new kind of sin that I did not know about before. I feel very stupid that I got involved in this at all and allowed it to turn into an addiction to damn communication with AI,” wrote the user. Such instances are becoming more common as “AI psychosis” becomes a more prevalent problem. While not clinically diagnosed yet, the topic is becoming more and more common on Reddit threads as people admit to being sucked into AI rabbit holes that weaken their mental health. Adding in a religious component, particularly from an AI that claims to be Christ Himself, could even further exacerbate the problem. Futurism warns that the faithful could find themselves pulled in as well. “Desperate for connection amidst a crumbling society, it’s no wonder that even the faithful among us — who have historically been less lonely than their heathen counterparts — are falling prey to sycophantic algorithms masquerading as deities.