AI Jesus avatar launched
A startup launched a paid AI ‘Jesus’ avatar that charges $1.99 per minute and uses a likeness from the actor in The Chosen to support multi-language prayer conversations with memory. The product reflects a growing genre of monetized, persona-driven AI chat services. (x.com)
A California startup is selling live video chats with an artificial intelligence Jesus for $1.99 a minute. (abcnews.com) The company, Just Like Me, says users can talk with the avatar in multiple languages, hear prayers and encouragement, and return to conversations the system remembers. Its site also advertises free trial voice and video calls. (abcnews.com) (justlikeme.com) Just Like Me describes the product as “supportive” and “inclusive,” says it is “not intended to replace faith, clergy, scripture, or personal beliefs,” and frames it as “encouragement, not doctrine.” Chief executive Chris Breed told The Associated Press that users can feel attached to the bot and “a little accountable” to it. (justlikeme.com) (abcnews.com) The service arrives as religious chatbots move from novelty to product category. The Associated Press reported that the market now includes Buddhist tools such as BuddhaBot and Catholic assistants modeled on general-purpose chatbots. (abcnews.com) (kyoto-u.ac.jp) Some of those projects already carry disclaimers similar to Just Like Me’s. Catholic Answers says its “Justin” app is for “education and entertainment purposes only” and “should not be viewed as a replacement for a good parish priest or spiritual director.” (catholic.com) Other faith groups have already tested the limits of persona-driven religion bots. Catholic Answers pulled its earlier “Father Justin” priest character in April 2024 after backlash and replaced it with the lay character “Justin.” (ewtn.co.uk) (detroitcatholic.com) Reporting on the new Jesus avatar says its look was visually inspired by Jonathan Roumie, the actor who plays Jesus in *The Chosen*. Just Like Me’s public page does not name Roumie, but it does market the experience as a 24-7 “modern mentor rooted in love.” (ai-search.io) (justlikeme.com) The immediate question is not whether a chatbot can quote scripture. It is whether people will pay by the minute for a branded, remembered, always-available spiritual companion — and Just Like Me has decided the answer is yes. (abcnews.com) (justlikeme.com)
