Christian tech company purchases ministry-focused AI chatbot

Tech outreach group Gloo on Tuesday acquired an artificial intelligence chatbot specifically designed for ministries to engage users visiting their online platforms, 24/7. Faith Assistant, previously known as Bible Chat AI, is uniquely trained and deployed by individual churches and ministries, Gloo explained. The program learns and adapts in order to answer questions from users, recommend resources, and connect users with staff or volunteers standing by. The company plans to offer both paid and free subscription options with varying features, according to a news release.

Gloo described itself as a mission-minded technology platform aimed at connecting the widespread Christian church. Faith Assistant aligns with the company’s mission to employ AI for redemptive purposes, Gloo’s chief AI officer, Steele Billings, said in a company news release.

How are users reacting? Emily Haring Thevarajoo, digital content director at Texas-based KCBI Radio said Faith Assistant’s analytics helped the Christian radio station better understand its audience. The program helped the station evolve how it engages both listeners and donors and allows the platform to support and serve audience members any time, she said.

However, some church members remain wary of AI crossing paths with religion. The Barna Group partnered with Gloo to conduct a 2023 survey and found only 22% of Christians agreed that AI would be good for the church. Just over 50% disagreed that AI would be good for the church, while nearly 30% reported they were unsure.

Dig deeper: Read John Dawson’s report in WORLD Magazine about a Catholic church in Switzerland that used AI to portray Jesus Christ and answer biblical questions.