Does AI Have the Capacity to Pray? Are the Prayers Real?

Some Pastors Use AI to Offer a Chatbot that Prays with Their Congregants

I was researching AI use in churches and came cross the following post, Can AI pray? A Greenville megachurch pastor tests theory with app in his own voice.

In November 2024, Ron Carpenter’s ministry launched an app called the Ron Carpenter Ministries Advanced Archive. Carpenter demos his new app complete with an AI clone of his voice. In this video, Carpenter tells the AI version of himself that he’s not feeling well and asks for prayer. The AI responds by praying for him.

In the comments, most comments love it only a few hate it. Some hate comments include, ‘idolatry,’ ‘Horrible idea,’ ‘Churches now is all about money.’ Many more in the comments express approval, one even said, ‘So looking forward to it.’

At the time, access to the AI version of Pastor Ron was going to be $49.99 per month.

Carpenter is far from the only one doing this now given AI’s many abilities to respond with seeming intelligence and with the ability to clone a person’s appearance and voice.

What could be wrong about using AI to pray?

First of all, a Large Language Model (LLM) like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude, do not have a soul since they aren’t human and they aren’t conscious. The Holy Spirit cannot inhabit an AI like it does a human. An AI is not an acceptable temple or dwelling place for the Holy Spirit to live in.

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

Secondly, AI was not created by God but by human beings. It was not created in the image of God but instead, in the image of humans. Human beings alone are created in the image of God. Not even animals have this privilege.

Third, mindless praying does not please God. The purpose of prayer is to communicate with God. It is to connect with Him. God seeks an authentic relationship with his followers. What’s important is not what you say as much as the motivation of the heart.

Imagine sitting across from a spouse or close friend who reads every word of your conversation from a pre-written script. They never look up to see your reaction. They never pause to listen to your response. Even if the words are poetic, the act of reading them turns a relationship into a performance. It treats the other person as a prop rather than a partner.

Some treat God like a lucky rabbit’s foot, or like a garland of garlic hung on the door to keep evil spirits away. Some approach God as if he is a genie and if you say the right word combination, he will give them what they want.

Is this an authentic relationship or is God just getting used?

Is AI Praying Idolatry?

In the Bible, in the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul states the following:

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
(Romans 1:21-23,25)

Imagine a woman who has lost her husband to cancer months ago. She is missing him terribly. She wants to hear his voice again so she clones it and uses an AI to talk to him again. She asks the AI to mimic his likes and dislikes. She programs the AI to speak and respond like her late husband.

Is this considered a real relationship? Some would argue it is…

Can we consider those interactions to legitimately be between the wife and her late husband? No. They are a counterfeit. They might feel real to her but that doesn’t change the fact that her husband is dead.

What about a man who uses AI, like some men are doing today, takes a woman he considers attractive, attaches her face to a porn model, then proceeds to do unspeakable things in the privacy of his room while interacting with this AI monstrosity. Would you consider this to be respectful to the woman who was cloned? Is it a legitimate relationship?

Are the Prayers Real?

The prayers that the AI prays may be technically and theologically sound. It isn’t so much what is being said as to the medium in which it is being done and the ‘mind’ that is doing the praying.

If Satan himself prayed a technical and theologically sound prayer, would that prayer move God? Of course not! Why not? Because Satan has no faith in God.

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
(Hebrews 11:6)

If the human experience and the human being are the final determiners of what is right and acceptable, AI prayers can certainly been deemed to be acceptable to some.

If God is the final determiner of what is right and acceptable, then I would argue that AI prayers are an abomination and should be avoided. In the Bible, God speaks against his followers mailing it in and just going through the motions.

“When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.

When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
(Isaiah 1:12-13,15)

God was speaking to the nation of Israel here in Isaiah 1. What would he say to preachers today who endorse these kind of prayers?

Can AI Teach Us to Pray?

If you use AI as a tool like you use a commentary or a Bible dictionary, AI can help us to learn. Be careful though, never take the word of AI as the final word on the subject. You, as one who was made in the image of God, one who (hopefully) has the Holy Spirit living in you, are best qualified to determine right from wrong.

Study the Bible. Study the prayers of the saints in the Bible. Examine Jesus’ model prayer we now call the Lord’s prayer. Ask God to guide you as you study the subject of prayer. AI can be used to clarify the meaning of some passages. It can do a word study for you in seconds that would take you hours.

Speed isn’t always a good thing.

You can eat a fine meal quickly, or you can savor it, take your time, and enjoy it. There are times when reading the Bible quickly is fine but it shouldn’t be the norm. You need to learn to slow down and savor the Word of God.

AI can help you learn what proper prayer looks like but it should never be asked to pray for you or over you.

Joseph Duchesne writes to help Christian Leaders navigate the ethical challenges that artificial intelligence poses to the Church today. He is the author of a couple of books, The Last Crisis and Discover the One, both available on Amazon.