There is an interesting legal question here. In the US, and I presume most other countries as well, spiritual communications with a cleric about spiritual matters is protected by "clergy/penitent" privilege and thus cannot be used in trials or other government deliberations. In this case, there is not actually a cleric behind these communications, but a person confessing sins thinks that there is. Does the law protect those communications? If not, people could be revealing information, even about crimes, that could be used against them in a civil trial.
Follow up canon law question: Do you think building a chatbot that simulates absolution and exercising priestly power violates Can. 1379 and 1389 about simulating absolution and trying to function as a priest without being one? This feels like fun, new ground for the Code
As far as I can tell, there are two kinds of chatbot-based AI.
There's chatbot AI that is this bad, and you're easily able to tell based on your relevant knowledge and experience and savvy.
And there's chatbot AI that is this bad, and you're not easily able to tell because you don't have as much relevant knowledge and experience and savvy.
This isn’t about an AI bot, but this may be as good a place as any to ask - what are people’s thoughts on cell phones in the confessional? I used to make a (coded) list on mine and take it in with me, but not any more. I just prefer to leave my stuff out on the benches. And every time I walk into a confessional and see the priest tucking his phone away I kind of sigh and wish it wasn’t there. I know it must be so much easier for the priests to have their phones instead of a stack of books, and I don’t wish to make things harder for anyone … but I don’t know. My feelings are complicated and I’m not sure why.
On a separate but related note, I also wonder at what point down the road we wonder about how they affect privacy - I know at the moment they require a code word to activate Siri/etc, but the way things are going who knows where we will be a few years down the road.
Just some things I was musing on a while back. Curious what others think…
It is certain that the technology is there for governments and bad actors to register conversations when the cell phone is on. I think eventually the bishops and the Pope will have to put some sort of restrictions on priests having cell phones in the confessional. Even if it is not a risk now, it definitely will be in just a few years.
My understanding is that a number of bishops (I seem to recall Bishop Conley of Lincoln was one) have already banned their priests from having cell phones or any other kind of recording device such as smart watches in the confessional due to concerns about breaking the seal. I generally do not go face-to-face and therefore I cannot see whether the priest has a phone with him in the box and it's not my job to police him, nor are my sins the least bit interesting even if they did somehow inadvertently "leak", so it's between him and his bishop. I would presume if he does have a phone in his pocket he probably shuts it off during confession time.
Good article. About a year ago when that site geared up I remember having to explain to some people that those were not real priests. Some folks even were asking if the "confessions" to Priestchat priests absolved their sins!
Yikes….
Hysterical.
Barf. Can we consider excommunicating the founders/investors? I understand they're probably not Catholic but still.
There is an interesting legal question here. In the US, and I presume most other countries as well, spiritual communications with a cleric about spiritual matters is protected by "clergy/penitent" privilege and thus cannot be used in trials or other government deliberations. In this case, there is not actually a cleric behind these communications, but a person confessing sins thinks that there is. Does the law protect those communications? If not, people could be revealing information, even about crimes, that could be used against them in a civil trial.
I do not think generally that the mistaken presumption of a privilege gives rise to the privilege, but I could be wrong.
Follow up canon law question: Do you think building a chatbot that simulates absolution and exercising priestly power violates Can. 1379 and 1389 about simulating absolution and trying to function as a priest without being one? This feels like fun, new ground for the Code
Ah, a new one to add to the list: a "Pillar Reader in a metaphysically-incapable-of-reading way".
As far as I can tell, there are two kinds of chatbot-based AI.
There's chatbot AI that is this bad, and you're easily able to tell based on your relevant knowledge and experience and savvy.
And there's chatbot AI that is this bad, and you're not easily able to tell because you don't have as much relevant knowledge and experience and savvy.
(Yes, indeed: the AI is not the variable there.)
This isn’t about an AI bot, but this may be as good a place as any to ask - what are people’s thoughts on cell phones in the confessional? I used to make a (coded) list on mine and take it in with me, but not any more. I just prefer to leave my stuff out on the benches. And every time I walk into a confessional and see the priest tucking his phone away I kind of sigh and wish it wasn’t there. I know it must be so much easier for the priests to have their phones instead of a stack of books, and I don’t wish to make things harder for anyone … but I don’t know. My feelings are complicated and I’m not sure why.
On a separate but related note, I also wonder at what point down the road we wonder about how they affect privacy - I know at the moment they require a code word to activate Siri/etc, but the way things are going who knows where we will be a few years down the road.
Just some things I was musing on a while back. Curious what others think…
The priests I confess to do not have a powered-on phone with them in the box. Just to be safe....
It is certain that the technology is there for governments and bad actors to register conversations when the cell phone is on. I think eventually the bishops and the Pope will have to put some sort of restrictions on priests having cell phones in the confessional. Even if it is not a risk now, it definitely will be in just a few years.
My understanding is that a number of bishops (I seem to recall Bishop Conley of Lincoln was one) have already banned their priests from having cell phones or any other kind of recording device such as smart watches in the confessional due to concerns about breaking the seal. I generally do not go face-to-face and therefore I cannot see whether the priest has a phone with him in the box and it's not my job to police him, nor are my sins the least bit interesting even if they did somehow inadvertently "leak", so it's between him and his bishop. I would presume if he does have a phone in his pocket he probably shuts it off during confession time.
Good article. About a year ago when that site geared up I remember having to explain to some people that those were not real priests. Some folks even were asking if the "confessions" to Priestchat priests absolved their sins!