A Helsinki church will host Finland’s (and one of the world’s) first worship services with the human pastor replaced by bots.
The service on March 4 at St Paul’s, a Lutheran church, will use a sermon, prayers, hymns and introductory texts, all generated by AI. It will also provide the spoken elements using the faces and voices of familiar priests projected onto a screen. The organ music and some hymns have also been composed by AI, but a live choir director will be present to lead the congregation in singing.
Human clergy will be on hand for discussions and to perform absolution or blessings; the Petja Kopperoinen, the priest organizing the service said the AI refused, saying only a human could do that. “It said that these require a human. I agree—AI can say the words, but they would be meaningless,” he said. Kopperoinen told press that “Artificial intelligence is becoming part of everyday work life. This is about exploring its role, not replacing people.”
As to public reaction? A church official said that mixed reactions are expected: “Some will see it as worth exploring, others will judge without attending.” And, perhaps, some people will send their devices to attend in their place.
