New study finds that AI clergy get fewer donations than human clergy

"Robots may indeed be able to capably transmit religion’s content, but they lack critical credibility. People perceive robots as having less capacity for understanding and emotion – less “mind” – than humans.

And 'mind' is key to credibility. Robots cannot authentically believe or feel faith’s costs. Unlike human clergy, who sacrifice for their religion, robots and AI simply speak about matters of faith, without any commitment.

The research provides new evidence that artificial intelligence may face hard limits when entering roles that require credibility, commitment, and “mind”-like religious leadership."