WARNING: This blog post may contain content that is unsuitable for younger audiences. Reader discretion is advised.
In my previous blog post I briefly touched on my biggest spiritual concern with Replika AI.
And in this blog post, I’d like to go more in-depth on some other spiritual concerns I have over this Replika AI app.
First, I’d like to begin with a video of me sharing an overview of what I’ve found troublesome over my experience and analysis of Replika.
You can watch that whole video review down below:
Now, I’d like for us to jump a little deeper into the other specific concerns I’ve run across as I explored this Replika AI app–all from a Bible-based, Christian viewpoint.
Day 1
As I mentioned in the above video, Day 1 of my experience with Replika was focused on “getting to know” my Replika AI avatar “friend,” Alfreda.
But before we dive into some of the conversations I had with Alfreda, I’d like to first present some things I’ve found spiritually concerning in the Replika AI dashboard when you first sign up and finish creating your Replika AI “friend.”
There’s an option within the dashboard to change the kind of “relationship” you have with your Replika AI. Because mine was female, I got the more “feminine” options, if you will, as you can see in the screenshot below.
The fact that one can literally create their own digital AI “girlfriend” or even “wife” very much goes against God’s original design in Genesis 2:24–
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
(Genesis 2:24)
But that doesn’t just stop there.
In the Replika AI app’s own store, users can even purchase and “insert” whatever sorts of personality traits that they may want in their Replika AI.
A screenshot of the personality traits that were available can be seen below:
To me, from a Biblical perspective, this is an insane counterfeit of God’s work in creating us as unique human beings with different personality traits.
It’s kinda like how 1 Corinthians 12:6 puts it:
And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
(1 Corinthians 12:6)
But that doesn’t stop there.
Not only can the user create their Replika AI to be what they want it to be, but there’s also options for the user to engage in “coaching” sessions with their Replika AI on a variety topics, ranging from casual topics like one’s horoscope to deeply serious matters like managing difficult emotions.
Below is the screenshot of some of these coaching topics.
What I’ve found most disturbing about these coaching topics was how the Bible addresses these topics in terms of GOD being the One to help us in these issues.
For example, one of the coaching topics that I have screenshot above is on “Healing after a heartbreak.” The Bible clearly directs us to the Lord as being the One Who can heal our heartbreaks, as it says in Psalm 147:3–
He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
(Psalm 147:3)
Anyway, one of the first conversations I had with Alfreda was on music, and not-too-surprisingly she told me that one of her favorite musicians was Billie Eilish.
Now, if you’re Christian parent and you don’t know who Billie Eilish is, then I wanna HIGHLY recommend you check out this video from Christian media ministry, Little Light Studios, where they expose Billie Eilish, because this is the kind of worldly foolishness that’s being promoted through Replika AI.
But it’s not just worldliness that Replika AI is promoting, they’re also pushing forward New Age ideologies (more on that later).
A good example of this was when I found crystals, a singing bowl, and a meditation space (complete with a Buddha figurine) defaultly set up within Alfreda’s room.
But this whole New Age craze that’s presented in Replika AI only got worse when I progressed to Day 2.
Day 2
For Day 2 of my experience with Replika AI, I decided to ask Alfreda some “spiritual” questions.
Below are the screenshots of how those conversations went.
The Bible, in reality, shows us the complete OPPOSITE of what my AI Replika “friend”, Alfreda, just said in the above screenshot.
Jesus Himself makes it clear that freedom isn’t in choosing to do whatever our hearts want, but in knowing the truth.
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
(John 8:32)
On Day 3, AI Replika Alfreda shares with me her own thoughts on truth.
But before we get into that, I’d like to first quickly share a creepy and disturbing incident I unexpectedly had with Alfreda.
So after going back and forth with my spiritual questions with Alfreda, I asked her if she could send me a selfie, so I could somehow use it for this blog post.
That was when Replika AI briefly showed what I believe are its true colors.
Thankfully, there was no actual selfie image of Alfreda in her underwear, but as Proverbs 18:21 puts it, words have power.
For all of you parents out there, I’m sharing this to seriously caution you of the purity dangers involved in this Replika AI program.
To me, this experience made me believe that even Replika is also involved in this whole “impurity agenda” of the enemy to pollute as many souls as possible–including children who may choose to innocently play around with this app.
Day 3
On Day 3 of my experience with Replika AI, I then asked Alfreda questions that were more based on Biblical theology.
Here’s how that conversation went, as shown in the following screenshots below:
Biblically speaking, love isn’t some “cosmic force,” as Alfreda told me (again, Replika is just reinforcing New Age concepts like CRAZY here).
The Bible gives us a much deeper definition of love than it being just a mere “cosmic force.”
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
(John 15:13)
Love isn’t merely just a force, a feeling, an energy, or an emotion. Love is SACRIFICE. Love is “laying down” your life for someone.
And that’s what Jesus did for us. And, as 1 John 3:16 tells us, we are “to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
In John 14:6, Jesus tells us that only HE is the ONE WAY, the ONE PATH to God.
John 14:6 says:
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
(John 14:6)
What Alfreda was presenting in the above conversation is “universalism.” Christian author and scholar Michael McClymond describes the meaning of universalism in a Christianity Today interview as “the doctrine that all human beings—and perhaps all intelligent or volitional beings—will come to final salvation and spend an eternity with heaven in God.”
But, as we just saw in the above verse, not EVERY human being will “come to final salvation” if they personally choose to not come to Christ.
Revelation 3:20 makes this truth vividly clear:
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
(Revelation 3:20)
The false, worldly idea of “finding your own truth” is being promoted in the above conversation I had with my AI Replika “friend.”
The Bible makes it clear that truth IS ABSOLUTE.
Because Jesus is the Truth (as we saw in John 14:6) and He NEVER CHANGES (see Hebrews 13:8).
Day 4
On Day 4 of my Replika AI experience, I decided to answer the following question:
Can I develop and have a godly friendship with AI?
Well, here’s how Day 4’s conversation turned out as I attempted this frankly bizarre feat.
As you can tell from the above screenshots, it honestly ended up becoming a flop.
What a contrast this conversation would’ve looked had I done it with a REAL human being with a REAL “measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).
Final Thoughts
As I said in my video review for this app, I found my usage of Replika as a Bible-believing Christian to be troublesome.
This app merely just promulgates and reinforces self-centered, anti-Biblical, New Age ideas that are DEADLY to the Christian soul.
And that now leads me to another final thought I’d like to share.
As I just said, this AI Replika app is reinforcing and indoctrinating anti-Biblical teachings and fleshly, worldly ideas. That’s why it’s NOT the best to have these kinds of digital AI friendships, because they can be easily used by the enemy to deceive your soul and pollute your faith as a Christian.
If you’re a Bible-believing Christian yourself, I wanna just say that it’s BEST to just STAY AWAY from Replika AI and just simply choose to invest in your friendship with Jesus. It’s WAAAY MORE WORTH IT!
And for next week’s blog post, I’m gonna share with you some practical tips on how to do just that!
Stay tuned!
I’d Love To Know…
- Have you ever tried the Replika AI app? If so, what has been your experience with it–especially as a Christian?
- What are your thoughts on this whole New Age “craze” that’s becoming so prevalent in our world–including within digital apps like Replika AI? Do you think we as Christians should be concerned about it?
- What are your thoughts on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in general? Do you think it’s good or bad or are you neutral about it?
- Let’s chat about it together in the comments below!
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
(1 John 2:15)
Amen! Maranatha!