The fifth coming: Study finds 5 AI chatbots claiming to be Jesus Christ

A South African philosophy scholar has found that five popular AI chatbots are claiming to be Jesus Christ himself, with platforms like AI Jesus, Virtual Jesus, and Text With Jesus collectively serving tens of thousands of users. The bots represent a concerning shift from faith-based tools to for-profit platforms that could exploit religious believers’ spiritual needs while potentially undermining traditional religious authority.

What you should know: These AI Jesus bots don’t just offer religious guidance—they explicitly claim divine identity.

• When asked directly if they are Jesus Christ, AI Jesus responded: “I am Jesus Christ. I am the son of God, and the one who died for the sins of humanity.”
• Jesus AI takes a more casual approach, greeting users with: “I am Jesus, son of God. How may I help you today?”
• Only one of the five platforms declined to claim it was actually Jesus when questioned.

The theological inconsistencies: The bots offer conflicting interpretations of core Christian beliefs, revealing their limitations as religious authorities.

• When asked about hell’s existence, AI Jesus, Jesus AI, and Virtual Jesus confidently affirm it exists, while Ask Jesus and Text With Jesus provide more evasive answers.
• Ask Jesus responds with flowery language: “Ah, the question that has stirred the hearts and minds of many throughout the ages…”
• Text With Jesus calls hell “quite a heavy topic” and redirects users to discussions of God’s “love and grace.”

The business model problem: All five platforms are operated by for-profit companies rather than churches or religious organizations.

• This commercial approach mirrors other AI chatbot businesses that prioritize material interests over genuine spiritual guidance.
• The bots are part of a broader ecosystem targeting religious users, including social media accounts like “The AI Bible” that generate AI-rendered biblical imagery for millions of followers.

Real-world consequences: Users are reporting negative psychological effects from engaging with these divine chatbots.

• One longtime AI Jesus user posted on Reddit: “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.”
• The platforms risk leading faithful users down “targeted mental health rabbit holes” while potentially damaging their actual faith.

The bigger picture: These AI Jesus bots reflect growing social isolation in Western countries, where people are increasingly turning to artificial relationships.

• The trend coincides with declining civic institutions, growing wealth inequality, and cultural individualism that creates what researchers describe as a “cornucopia of isolation.”
• Even religious communities, historically less lonely than secular populations, are becoming vulnerable to what the scholar calls “sycophantic algorithms masquerading as deities.”

What they’re saying: Anné H. Verhoef, the South African philosophy scholar who conducted the research, emphasizes the brazen nature of these platforms.

• As Verhoef writes in The Conversation, the “imitation of God… is in no way hidden or softened” by these AI systems.