Does AI Have the Capacity to Pray?

I was researching artificial intelligence (AI) use in churches and came cross the following post: Can AI pray? A Greenville megachurch pastor in South Carolina, United States, tests theory with an 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.

Most comments on the video love it; a few hate it. Some hate comments include “idolatry,” “horrible idea,” and “churches now is [sic] 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 US$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, such Large Language Models (LLMs) as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude do not have a soul, since they aren’t human and they aren’t conscious. The Holy Spirit does not inhabit an AI the way it does a human. An AI is not a temple or dwelling place for the Holy Spirit to live in.

Second, AI was not created in the image of God, but was made by human beings. One could say it was created in the image of humans. To be created in the image of God is a privilege only human beings, not even animals, have.

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 so much what you say as it is the motivation of the heart.

Imagine sitting across from a spouse or close friend who reads every word they contribute to your conversation from a prewritten 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. Approaching God as if He were a genie who will give them what they want if they say the right combination of words.

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

Is AI Praying Idolatry?

In the book of Romans Paul states, “Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. . . . [They] exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Rom. 1:21-25).

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?

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.

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 the medium through which it is said 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. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Heb. 11:6).

If the human experience is the final determiner of what is right and acceptable, AI prayers can certainly be deemed to be acceptable to some. But 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 just going through the motions (see Isa. 1:12, 13, 15).

What would God say about rote prayers mindlessly generated after paying a subscription and filling a form?

Can AI Teach Us to Pray?

If we use AI as a tool, the same way we use a commentary or a Bible dictionary, it can help us to learn. We must be careful, though, never to take the word of AI as the final word on any 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 discern between right and 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.

But 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. Sometimes, reading the Bible quickly is fine, but it shouldn’t be the norm. We need to learn to slow down and savor the Word of God.

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

Joseph Duchesne is the creator of The Church AI Guy, a space in which faith meets innovation while discussing the long-term impact of AI.