Text with Jesus is a new instant messaging application powered by ChatGPT that allows users to chat with Jesus Christ and other biblical figures impersonated by the popular artificial intelligence program.

Created by Cat Loaf Software, an app-development company in Los Angeles, the new messaging program features a plethora of biblical characters, from Jesus to Judas and the rest of the apostles, and even First Testament protagonists like Ruth, Job, and Abraham’s nephew, Lot. And, if your dark side ever takes over, there is even an option to chat with Satan. The app was launched recently and has been getting mixed feedback online. Reactions have varied from amusement to accusations of blasphemy and heresy, which is really not that surprising considering the sensitive topic. For some people, religion is the most sacred thing in their lives, so they don’t take lightly anything they consider offensive.

Stéphane Peter, the app’s developer and the CEO of Cat Loaf Software, has described Text with Jesus as just ‘another way to explore Scripture,’ but some users have reported that certain religious figures impersonated by ChatGPT just weren’t what they expected. For example, Jesus has reportedly been chatting in an uptight tone, while many of the other religious figures have been trained to avoid taking offensive stances on sensitive issues like gender identity, pronouns or sexual orientation.

“I updated it so it can speak more like a regular person and ensured it didn’t forget that it’s supposed to get stuff from the Bible,” Peter said about the app. “It’s a constant trick to find the right balance.”

Cat Loaf Software allegedly invited a number of church leaders to try a beta version of Text with Jesus and made several subsequent improvements, including adding Bible chapter and verse citations. It’s still not perfect, obviously, this is basically ChatGPT trained on the Bible, but it could see some success among zealous Christians.

Apparently, the app even has some monetization features. For example, unlocking some of the included Biblical figures to chat with requires a monthly fee. For example, gaining access to Mary Magdalene in Text with Jesus requires a fee of $2.99 a month.

 

Oh, and if chatting with the Son of God just isn’t enough, you can actually play Jesus in a video game.