Figures from OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, have shown that every week the AI chatbot receives around 70 million enquiries on the subject of religion.
Unsurprisingly it is the world’s two largest religions, Christianity and Islam that receive the lion’s share of interest.
The analysis, which looked at requests from September 2025 to September 2026 found that 45 per cent of religion-related interactions were about Islam and 34 per cent were concerned with Christianity.
Hinduism accounted for just four per cent of requests, Judaism two per cent and Buddhism one per cent.
OpenAI also found that religion-based requests tended to surge around religious holidays, with Islam-related requests rising during Ramadan and Eid, and Christian requests increasing at Easter.
As to the nature of the requests, a little under a third were about understanding religious texts (22 million a week on average), while around 16 million were focused on the meaning of religious practices and holidays. Similar numbers asked questions about beliefs, meaning and spiritual guidance.
Around half of Christian-related interactions asked about passages of scripture, with just 13 per cent about worship, sermons or church practices.
"The common thread is that people are using AI to deepen their understanding of their faith, not to replace it," said OpenAI.
In their report, the company said that while artificial intelligence was being used by believers to support their religious lives, it should not become a replacement for genuine spiritual guidance.
“AI should help people pursue what matters to them, including their faith, while strengthening rather than replacing human relationships and institutions," it said.
"Religious life is rooted in shared traditions, personal conviction, and connections among people. AI can support those activities, but it cannot and should not substitute for them,” the researchers wrote.
“AI is not - and should not become - an arbiter of religious truth or a replacement for spiritual guidance. Those roles belong to individuals, religious leaders, and congregations.
"What AI can do is to give people tools that help them practice their faith, deepen their understanding, and connect more meaningfully with those who share their beliefs.”
