Sonny, a hybrid school counseling chatbot, has taken over several school districts across the United States as the uprise in artificial intelligence in our world continues.\u00a0According to Sonar Mental Health, Sonny’s developers, it’s a “personal wellbeing companion” that K-12 students can chat with “about literally anything.”<\/span><\/p>\n The chatbot, which is available to 4,500 middle and high school students, uses a “human-in-the-loop” model, where humans<\/span>\u00a0with backgrounds in psychology and social work review chats and take cues from AI.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n According to Wall Street Journal columnist Julie Jargon,\u00a0what makes this chat distinct<\/span>\u00a0from pure AI\u00a0<\/span>is its human element<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n “Humans with backgrounds in psychology, social work and<\/span>\u00a0crisis-line support are always in the mix, reviewing the chats and taking cues from AI to inform their\u00a0<\/span>own<\/span>\u00a0replies to students,” she\u00a0<\/span>wrote<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n There is no doubt that AI is here to stay and that it<\/span>\u00a0possesses impressive capabilities, but we must\u00a0<\/span>be reminded<\/span>\u00a0that it is not God, nor should it replace actual relationships. Authentic connection\u2014not something artificial\u2014<\/span>is what truly<\/span>\u00a0fosters meaningful relationships, especially for young people whose lives\u00a0<\/span>are\u00a0<\/span>deeply<\/span>\u00a0shaped<\/span>\u00a0by them. Growing up without parents in the picture or toxic parents can result in emotional scarring and abandonment issues that later affect whatever interpersonal relationships they have down the line\u2014 whether it’s friends or romantic relationships.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In recent times, we have seen the presence of AI in the context of the church. For instance, controversy erupted when a Catholic church based in Switzerland\u00a0<\/span>placed<\/span><\/a>\u00a0an AI version of Jesus Christ in its confessional booth as part of a social experiment.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Marco Schmid, a theologian with Peter’s Chapel, said that\u00a0a majority of the<\/span>\u00a0people who interacted with the AI Jesus said it was a “spiritual experience.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile, South Carolina megachurch pastor Ron Carpenter\u00a0created and developed<\/span><\/a>\u00a0an AI version of himself in which congregants can have “personalized, 1-on-1 interactions” through his newly developed prayer<\/a> app.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n He\u00a0displayed<\/span>\u00a0how the app worked by using an example of someone feeling sick and reaching him on the app for prayer<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In response, the AI-generated version of the pastor will proceed to pray, saying, “Hey there, I’m sorry to hear you’re not feeling well. Let’s take a moment to pray together.\u00a0Heavenly Father, I thank you\u00a0<\/span>that you know<\/span>\u00a0us and\u00a0<\/span>hear<\/span>\u00a0us.<\/span>\u00a0Right now, I lift\u00a0<\/span>up<\/span>\u00a0my friend to you. I ask for your healing touch to be upon.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In\u00a0similar<\/span>\u00a0fashion<\/span>, these faith-based AI programs and the Sonny chatbot have\u00a0<\/span>been developed<\/span>\u00a0as a means for people to seek out help or cultivate interactions. Despite its capabilities and accessibilities, these technologies should never replace real interpersonal connections.\u00a0<\/span>It does not<\/span>\u00a0matter how well an AI can mimic a person, it is still not a person. It does not matter how much information it contains; it is still an AI. For Christians, that truth should resonate even further in realizing that AI is not God, lest we make an idol out of it.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In Scripture, we know that believers are the body of Christ while Christ is the Head of the church. As the body of Christ, we are created<\/span>\u00a0for fellowship with one another.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>For we were all baptized by one Spirit\u00a0<\/span>so as to<\/span>\u00a0form one body\u2014whether Jews or Gentiles,\u00a0<\/span>slave<\/span>\u00a0or free\u2014and we were all given the one Spirit to drink,” -Corinthians 12:12-13.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In Christ, we are one in Him and\u00a0in<\/span>\u00a0each other, regardless of ethnicity or social status. We are a spiritual family under our Heavenly Father and\u00a0<\/span>are given<\/span>\u00a0the same Holy Spirit who sanctifies us so that we would reflect Christ. Overall, we understand the importance of interpersonal connection as we fellowship with one another for the Body of Christ, which is relational at its core. Christians also recognize the importance of loving one another in obeying the second of the greatest commandments, which is “love your neighbor as yourself<\/a>,” which goes hand in hand with the greatest and most important commandment, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37<\/a>\u201340). Later in John’s epistle, he stresses that loving God but not loving your neighbor is a liar (1 John 4:20<\/a>).\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Moreover, the fellowship of the saints is reflective of the eternal relationship between the Holy Trinity\u2014 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit\u2014 who were all present in the creation of humanity (Genesis 1:26<\/a>). Therefore, we can never accept AI as a replacement for fellowship because that is not how\u00a0we’re created<\/span>. If anything, the presence of such technological developments should further prompt us to cultivate and maintain relationships with one another so that we would not be caught up in what I see, sadly, would become a trend where people would\u00a0<\/span>rather<\/span>\u00a0turn to an AI than a real person.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n I understand that no relationship is perfect, as no person is perfect, but even<\/span>\u00a0the pain and strife of relationships should not prompt one to jettison them all together for the sake of an artificial one in isolation. Eventually, that “relationship” with an AI will fade and leave one empty, realizing it can never bring the true joy that actual relationships can bring, whether with other people or especially with the Lord. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Photo Credit: \u00a9iStock\/Getty Images Plus\/Laurence Dutton<\/span><\/p>\n Originally published April 02, 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Why Real Relationships Still Matter in a Digital World<\/h2>\n
The Body of Christ Was Never Meant to Be Artificial<\/h2>\n
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<\/picture>Milton Quintanilla<\/strong> is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.<\/p>\n