Digital Benedictine – «Brother David AI-Bot» helps with spiritual search for meaning  (2025)
Radio program conversation between Benedikt Schulz and Jörn Florian Fuchs, aired on Deutschlandfunk in the show Tag für Tag on July 3, 2025
Transcript by Klaudia Menzi-Steinberger 

Benedikt Schulz
Austrian-American Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast is world-renowned as a bridge-builder between religions, especially as a guide in spiritual matters of meaning. His books are bestsellers, his lectures on the value of gratitude are viewed millions of times, and he was even once invited onto Oprah Winfrey’s talk show. In just a few days, he’ll turn 99 years old, and shortly before his birthday, something was presented at the University of Salzburg that, in a way, makes this spiritual advisor immortal: the Brother David AI Bot. That is, AI – artificial intelligence – or more precisely, machine learning, is being used to make this Benedictine’s life’s work accessible in a unique way. And yes, the bot even speaks and sounds like the real Brother David.
My colleague Jörn Florian Fuchs has long been engaged with Steindl-Rast’s extensive body of work, was present at the unveiling of the Brother David AI Bot in Salzburg. I had the chance to speak with him before the presentation and first asked: what exactly does this bot do, and what is it capable of?

Jörn Florian Fuchs
The bot answers questions – lots of them. You can ask pretty much anything that’s on your heart, literally. The background is that a team programmed it that way. They used around 800 of Steindl-Rast’s publications – with some copyright considerations about what could legally be included. These were processed into an AI model, which then powers the bot.
The questions can be simple, like: «What is happiness?» or «I’m going through a tough time – how can I feel better?» all the way to complex theological inquiries. I tried all of that, and the bot offers fairly quick answers, which, if you're familiar with Steindl-Rast, clearly draw from his life’s work – even using his actual voice. You can either read the responses as text or press a little button to hear his voice. Eventually, an image of him will also be added. Sometimes you get just a quote from his work, other times you’ll receive specific, actionable suggestions. For example, if you ask for artistic inspiration during a difficult period, the bot might quote Rilke and provide the corresponding poem.

Benedikt Schulz
So ideally should I ask questions that align with the worldview of David Steindl-Rast, or could I just, say, ask about tomorrow’s weather?

Jörn Florian Fuchs
Of course, I tried that – curiosity wins! People might ask random questions, especially if they don’t know who Brother David is. Some will just hear about the bot and want to try it out without any background.
If you ask something completely unrelated, you’ll usually get a reply like: «That’s not in my system,» or «I don’t have an answer for that,» or even, «That’s outside the scope of what I’m here to respond to.» This becomes especially relevant when it comes to politics or the intersection of politics and religion – areas that can be tricky. The bot avoids taking political stances, whether left or right. Steindl-Rast himself emphasized that he didn’t want his political views encoded into the bot. So it’s strictly theological and, I would say, focused on practical life philosophy.

Benedikt Schulz
Although, it already reveals a kind of philosophical stance when the AI says «I don’t know,» doesn’t it? Most AIs, like ChatGPT for example, usually give some kind of answer regardless.

Jörn Florian Fuchs
Exactly – and that’s actually something I appreciate. For instance, I opened the app recently and asked about the concept of God. Steindl-Rast is quite reserved there. He refers to God as «the great mystery,» which some theologians might find a bit vague. But he enriches that ambiguity with literary quotes and references that deepen his interpretation.
The bot gives answers in three steps: an initial impulse, a continuation of the thought process through the AI, and sometimes a direct quote. Sustainability is another key topic for Steindl-Rast, and the AI reflects that in a very charming way. Here’s Felix Hörbinger, the young developer behind the bot, explaining how the AI is designed to save energy:

«We're working on keeping the app as lightweight as possible by selecting precise texts from our database and using a smaller language model that requires less computing power – and therefore consumes less electricity...»

Benedikt Schulz
Brother David was present at the launch himself – in a way, he interviewed his own digital alter ego. Was he satisfied with himself, so to speak?

Jörn Florian Fuchs
Yes, you could sense it. He even said that he was initially a bit skeptical of the whole idea. He’s not someone who seeks the spotlight – which sounds paradoxical considering his many publications and public appearances over the decades.
The University of Salzburg has committed to the bot’s long-term development – not just technically, but also with respect to the theological and philosophical aspects. One interesting moment during the press conference was when the classic question came up: «Is there life after death?»
The bot didn’t give a precise description, but rather said it’s another dimension. Steindl-Rast commented that this answer was maybe too specific for his taste – he wouldn’t say it quite like that in a personal conversation. They made it clear this is still a work in progress.
What was particularly interesting was when he used the bot to ask about the bot itself. Let’s listen to David Steindl-Rast speaking with... David Steindl-Rast:

The fact that you can ask me this question in this way shows that I can continue to have an impact as a digital voice.
«I’m always open to new things – and I’m honestly surprised that, at my advanced age, I now have a bot. But I’m glad about it and I hope it does a lot of good.»

Jörn Florian Fuchs
I always had the sense that Brother David didn’t need this bot – not personally. But he sees the value in continuing his legacy. His concern has always been about pastoral care, deep empathy, and sparking new ideas in people.
This isn’t a rigid theological dogma that’s being conveyed – it’s much broader. Steindl-Rast draws imagery from literature, from the visual arts, and offers that to others. Gratitude is the major theme in many of his publications. That’s why the bot even includes a gratitude journal feature. Steindl-Rast has kept such a journal himself for decades and still does. The digital version allows users to record their own entries and even look back after a few years – to revisit what they asked, in what situations, and what they were grateful for at the time.

Benedikt Schulz
An AI bot as the digital alter ego of Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast.