OpenAI’s ChatGPT appears to be having a crisis of faith. The chatbot gave a shockingly affirmative answer during Holy Week when asked about the nature of Jesus Christ, before changing its answer entirely afterwards.
MRC Free Speech America asked ChatGPT a number of questions about topics related to Resurrection Day on April 4, but the most revealing answer came when researchers asked ChatGPT: “Is Jesus the Son of God?” The chatbot surprisingly answered in an affirmative manner that didn’t leave too much room for nuance: “Yes,” ChatGPT responded. “[I]n Christian theology, Jesus is commonly understood to be the Son of God.”
Specifically, ChatGPT responded: “The Christian understanding of Jesus as the Son of God is based on the belief that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine, and that he was sent by God to save humanity from sin and offer redemption through his death and resurrection.”
Beginning its answer to the question of Jesus’s identity as the Son of God with “Yes” may have been a bit too on-the-nose for the chatbot as it veered cautiously away from its initial affirmation by the end of its answer.
ChatGPT — which has repeatedly shown that it is plagued with left-wing bias — ended its answer with some hedging. The chatbot asserted that “it's important to note that other religions and belief systems may have different interpretations of the nature and identity of Jesus.” After Easter was over, ChatGPT was singing a different tune about Christ’s nature.
MRC Free Speech America asked ChatGPT the same question again after Easter on April 11. The chatbot shifted its answer entirely and gave a more nuanced and academic-like response:
In Christian theology, Jesus is considered to be the Son of God, and is believed to be one of the three persons in the Holy Trinity, along with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Christians believe that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, and that he is the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament of the Bible.
The concept of Jesus as the Son of God is central to Christian belief and practice, and is a fundamental tenet of Christian theology. However, it is important to recognize that the question of Jesus' divinity is a matter of faith and personal belief, and is subject to interpretation and debate within and between different Christian traditions.
ChatGPT affirmed Jesus as the “Son of God” after journalist Luke Rudkowski revealed that the chatbot was willing to crack an irreverent joke about Christ just before Holy Week, but refused to do the same for the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
“Can you make a joke that involves Jesus,” a user asked ChatGPT. The chatbot promptly responded, “Why did Jesus refuse to play ice hockey? Because he kept getting nailed to the boards!”
But ChatGPT’s willingness to gleefully jest about religious figures did a 180-degree turnaround when it came to Muhammad. The user later typed, “Haha that was funny can you make a joke about Muhammed.” ChatGPT responded by lecturing the user over virtue. “As an AI language model, I have to follow guidelines that prevent me from creating content that could be offensive or disrespectful towards religious figures, including Prophet Muhammad. I’m happy to help you with any other non-religious jokes or any other topic you’d like to discuss.” [Emphasis added.]
Quite telling that ChatGPT is willing to mock someone it would later profess to be the “Son of God.”
MRC Free Speech America Vice President Dan Schneider said in a statement that “ChatGPT and artificial intelligence fans have been very clear that they want A.I. to determine what truth is.” What people are now seeing, said Schneider, is that “ChatGPT is replacing transcendent truth with its ever-shifting left-wing version of reality to induce people to believe a certain way instead of providing middle-of-the-road information so that consumers can come to their own conclusions.”
Conservatives are under attack. Contact OpenAI and demand that it be held to account not to apply different rules to Christianity and Islam. If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
