The Ten Best Worst AI “Sacred” Art Pics Floating Around the Internet
Sacred art has consistently served as a cornerstone for prayer, contemplation, and religious instruction. As Saint John Paul II stated in his Letter to Artists in 1999, “In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art. Art must make perceptible, and as far as is possible, attractive, the world of the spirit, of the invisible, of God.”
With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, there have been attempts to create sacred art using AI rather than human artists. The results, it would be fair to say, have been…lacking.
This has opened a much larger debate regarding the appropriateness of such AI-generated art and whether it can even be classified as art in the first place. But, while that discussion continues, we present for your viewing pleasure (or, perhaps, horror) ten of the best worst AI “sacred art” pics we could find floating around the internet, as well as an “honorable mention” gallery.
Enjoy…if you can.
10 The Five Levels of…Huh?
At first glance, this image seems to be an echo of the triumphal depictions found in Renaissance churches. But closer inspection reveals something unsettling when we notice the chaos. What do the multiple levels even represent? Why is the floating figure beaming a light beam at the “supernova”? Who is floating on a magic carpet? Are they all men? The longer you look, the weirder it gets!
9 Rosary Ball-Pit Mary
This looks like a combination of bad AI and worse photoshopping. Reminiscent of the ball pits that used to be fixtures of amusement and fast-food restaurants’ play areas, this odd nod to the rosary sees Mary half-buried in one!
8 Backwards Mary
Clearly an attempt to portray Our Lady, Star of the Sea, this image has either Mary’s head or her clothing (or both) backward. It takes the #8 spot because the ocean vibe and colors are pretty good, but the overall backwards strangeness of the image renders it too much and is very weird.
7 Claymation Nightmare
This artwork depicts a young woman in a group hug with Jesus and….the Father? Moses? It’s hard to say. With the extremely large doves that might be alluding to the Holy Spirit, it seems to be an AI version of a Holy Trinity group hug…underwater. With candles. And maybe a portal to another dimension. The claymation aspect was a gutsy choice, if not altogether ugly, so it lands at #7.
6 Holy Family Fail
At a glance, you might think, “Oh, this is AI, but the Holy Family looks sweet.” But the instant your eye catches Mary’s bizarre appearance, the sweet feeling dies. “Wait for iiiiiiiit” is an appropriate caption because as soon as you spot her deformed third hand, and you realize that it’s hard to tell if Joseph or Mary is holding the baby, you can’t unsee it. Don’t bother counting Baby Jesus’ fingers, either. We stopped counting at six, which matches the rank of this picture.
5 Clone Wars
We are now entering the truly “best worst” level of AI art. This gem leaves us with so many questions. So. Many. Questions. At least Jesus and his clones’ feet look okay.
4 Who’s Who at the Christmas Creche
This AI art masterpiece is clearly for the Christmas-lover. What is better than ONE Blessed Mother? THREE! Three also happens to be the number of arms that the Wise Man has, but hey, who is counting? Don’t count one of the Mary’s hands. And whatever you do, do NOT zoom in on the imposter baby Jesus unless you know how to mind-scrub images from your brain.
3 Veteran Jesus
Our top 3 are here, and they live up to the honor! Coming in at Third Place, Veteran Jesus takes the Bronze. It is actually unclear what is being depicted here. The “angels” add another layer of complexity and strangeness since they have no real form. All-in-all, with the ambiguous historic soldiers, the shapeless angelic imposters, and the muscular, graying Jesus, this picture has earned its place in the top tier.
2 On Eagle’s Wings
There really are no words to describe the absolute magnificent disaster that is this piece of “art.” This second-place masterpiece looks like AI went on an acid trip while listening to the hymn, “On Eagle’s Wings.” The fact that it includes disembodied eagles and Jesus-as-eagle made up of eagles only just narrowly missed being #1 Best Worst.
1 Best Worst AI Art Picture
And now, the absolute best WORST AI “sacred” art picture floating around the internet that we could find!
The winner. Or the loser? Whatever it is, the image showcases Jesus with dead eyes and a twin. Is He bi-locating? Is that Our Lady presiding over Mass? Are those beignets on the altar? And what are the other containers? At least Mary has the right amount of fingers!
Honorable Mention Gallery
In our trolling of the internet for the best-worst AI “sacred art”, we came across a few that didn’t quite make the top-ten, but are still worth mentioning.
In this one, Mary looks like a zombie.
This one is called “Underwater Jesus.” For obvious reasons.
And last, but certainly not least… Jacked Jesus. There are no words to describe how utterly ridiculous, unnecessary, and bizarre this attempt at art is.
In conclusion, AI falls woefully short of creating actual art. As funny as these completely awful attempts at “art” are, they tell a real truth: that real art must be created, must be human. It is man, who is profoundly creative, that brings forth authentic art.
Have you come across some truly awful Ai “art?” Tell us in the comments!
