Religious Workers, All Other

Religious “all-other” workers mainly do personal, pastoral work – things like counseling, church services or prayer – that AI can’t do by itself. Some places have experimented with AI in faith settings. For example, a rabbi once used ChatGPT to draft a 1,000-word sermon ^[1], and there are specialized chatbots (like “HadithGPT” or an Episcopal “AskCathy” bot) that answer questions using religious texts ^{[1] [2]}.

A Buddhist temple even has a “robot monk” that talks with visitors, but researchers note it still needs nuns to guide it and often defers to the human priest when unsure ^{[2] [2]}. AI is also helping behind the scenes – for example, language models can speed up translating ancient scriptures, a job that used to take scholars years ^[3]. However, experts warn these systems can “hallucinate” or give wrong answers ^[3], and they lack real empathy.

A rabbi who heard an AI-written sermon said it felt “passable” but without the human vulnerability people expect ^[1]. We should remember that tasks like caring for someone’s feelings or giving personal spiritual guidance are hard to automate.

AI Adoption

Churches and synagogues may use AI only slowly. Basic tools like ChatGPT are free and easy to try, so clergy might use them to research or draft ideas without any big investment.

But building a reliable faith-specific system takes time and money. For example, one Episcopal priest created “AskCathy” by feeding ChatGPT church publications so it wouldn’t stray from doctrine ^[2]. Small congregations often run on donations or volunteers, so expensive tech isn’t a priority.

Many leaders also worry about trusting AI: theologians say chatbots could become a “shortcut” that undermines deep study, and AI can still “make stuff up” that misleads worshippers ^{[3] [1]}. There are only about 12,000 people in this broad job category nationwide ^[4], which means resources for fancy automation are limited. In the end, most experts agree AI will help with side-tasks (like translating texts or organizing schedules), but it won’t replace the human heart of the work.

Compassion, insight and personal care are what people really need from religious workers – and those skills stay valuable even as technology grows ^{[1] [3]}.