CATHY — an acronym for Churchy Answers That Help You — is a new artificial intelligence chatbot that answers faith-based questions from the perspective of a friendly, knowledgeable Episcopalian. Despite its feminine name, the “priestbot” is genderless. There is no flowing robe or staff, but like a wise cleric, CATHY provides help to those needing answers to life’s deepest questions. For example, when asked what to do about social anxiety, CATHY responded: “Dealing with social anxiety can be challenging, but there are several approaches that might help. Practice relaxation techniques and challenge your negative thoughts.” Developed and funded by the ecumenical group TryTank Research Institute, CATHY uses large language models from OpenAI’s ChatGPT and has ingested the Book of Common Prayer and the entire Episcopal Church website. Rev. Lorenzo Lebrija, the founding director of TryTank and an Episcopal priest, sees the bot as a virtual guide to the Episcopal Church for existing and potential congregants. CATHY is designed to “translate” the Bible into relatable language geared toward younger audiences. It can also serve as a tool for priests by helping them build sermon outlines. Many denominations are experimenting with generative AI. There's Text With Jesus, Buddhabot, Chatbot Eli, Gita GPT, and QuranGPT, to name a few. The makers of CATHY stress that the bot is no substitute for a priest, but they've designed it to help spiritual seekers talk about subjects they feel vulnerable or defensive about. Is a soulless chatbot really the future of spiritual nourishment? The answer is a resounding no for Baptist theologian Joshua K. Smith, who said, "We will always see ourselves inside the machine. It is not the tech that leads us astray, it is the desires behind why we create said technology and what hopes we put upon its synthetic shoulders.” Many clergy believe bots should never replace humans helping in a time of need. Since a chatbot is only simulating empathy, it can never really take the place of God. To nourish your soul, you need to be in the presence of the Living God.
