Megachurch pastor previews app that offers AI-led prayer, spiritual counseling for a fee
Has a megachurch pastor already pulled the plug on an app that features an AI version for himself offering prayer for a monthly fee?
Ron Carpenter Jr., pastor of the 21,000-member Redemption Church with campuses in Greenville, South Carolina, and San Jose, California, has rolled out his own Ron Carpenter Ministries Advanced Archive app.
The app, last updated in the Google Play Store on October 22, promises to "transcend traditional time and access barriers by enabling 1-on-1 personalized interactions not possible at (sp) before now."
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The app had "10+" downloads on Google Play and one rating on the Apple App Store as of Wednesday. It is billed as a "unique place where people from every background, race, and walk of life come together in a place of community and purpose" and offers users prayer and spiritual guidance from an AI version of the 54-year-old Carpenter.
A video demonstration shared online by Protestia features Carpenter using the app to request "Pastor Ron" to pray for recovery from an illness.
"I love to have my own personal pastor," Carpenter tells the camera as he demonstrates how the app responds with an automated message in Carpenter's voice. The pastor ended the short video by urging his followers to "stay tuned" to find out more information.
Powered by Innovatix AI, the app also requires users to sign up for a $49 monthly plan to access "unlimited" calls and messages with the AI pastor.
Carpenter's personal website also features an apparent link to the Advanced Archive app, which appeared broken as of Wednesday afternoon. The site does not reference the Advanced Archive app anywhere else.
CP reached out to Carpenter for comment. This story will be updated if a response is received.
The mainstreaming of AI has already changed how some pastors approach their sermons, with some churches opting to try ChatGPT and other large language models to generate their messages for Sunday mornings.
Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills has warned against the rise of AI among churches, saying that the level of deception in the Church is set to rise exponentially in the coming years as technology rapidly advances.
"I don't say this to scare you; I say this to prepare you," Hibbs said in October 2023. "There is a level of deception coming both in and out of the Church that is going to rock the world. It has to. God promised it would come. It would be an indicator of the last days."
Hibbs warned when it comes to AI, "we are now starting to see things come to pass where you don't know if what you're looking at is true or not."
"You can't even tell anymore if that person's voice is assigned to the actual individual. Is that really Billy Graham's voice, or is that really this actor's voice or that singer's voice? Or is it artificial intelligence?
"How are you going to know truth from error?" Hibbs asked.
Stressing the need for discernment among believers, Hibbs implored his congregation to "more than ever, read the Bible."
"Pray to God. Stop listening to what people are saying. Judge everything you hear against the Bible."
