AI‑Generated Impersonations Targeting Clergy: A Growing Threat for Churches

In November, Father Mike Schmitz—a Catholic priest and popular podcaster—addressed his more than 1.2 million‑strong YouTube audience with a warning that, in some cases, the speaker’s words may not be his own. Schmitz revealed that he has become the victim of AI‑generated impersonation scams that mimic his voice and appearance. One fabricated video portrayed a “demonic human” watching the viewers, urging them to act quickly to secure a blessed prayer. Another fake clip used a looming hourglass and claimed that “the next trip will only take place in four months.” In both cases, the synthetic voice sounded faintly robotic, and the videos included calls‑to‑action links designed to siphon donations. Schmitz’s own response video juxtaposed the false clips with footage of him in an L.L. Bean jacket over his clerical vestments, asserting, “I can look at them and say that’s ridiculous, I would never say that. But people can’t necessarily tell.” He also emphasized that the phenomenon is widespread, as comments on his channel reported impersonations of other clergy, including the Pope. Cybersecurity analyst Rachel Tobac, CEO of SocialProof Security, notes that pastors have become prime targets for AI scams because their digital footprints—videos of sermons, live streams, and social‑media posts—provide ample training data for deep‑fake models. “If you’re on TikTok or Reels, they’ve probably come across your For You page,” Tobac explains. “The imitator can appear to be a priest, wearing all the garments, standing on a pulpit, and speaking in an enthusiastic manner.” The problem is not limited to the United States. Pastors across Birmingham, Alabama; Freeport, New York; and Fort Lauderdale, Florida have issued public warnings. Alan Beauchamp of the Ozarks had his Facebook account hacked, and an attacker posted an AI‑generated certificate promoting a cryptocurrency scheme under his name. In the Philippines, a megachurch reported deep‑fake videos of its pastors, while an evangelical church in Nebraska launched a “scammer alert” on Facebook. Congregants have responded by sharing screenshots of purported texts and videos. The conflation of legitimate fundraising with deceptive content is especially hazardous because many online pastors actively solicit donations. Generative‑AI tools, combined with social‑media reach, enable scammers to replicate a pastor’s voice and pose a request for funds or a bank transfer. A ChurchTrac representative warned, “The scammer can use that voice and call into a church and say ‘Hey, would you transfer this fund to this account?’” An investigation by WIRED into Father Schmitz’s TikTok presence uncovered more than 20 accounts impersonating him and several other fake profiles that continued to post content after the platform’s removal of the most obviously fraudulent videos. Schmitz, who has no verified TikTok account, did not respond to comment requests. AI impersonation extends beyond pastors. Tobac has documented viral short‑form videos of fabricated pastors who do not correspond to any real individual yet rapidly accumulate views. One such video features a “nondescript pastor” shouting about billionaires as the true threat, posted by the account Guided in Grace, whose bio claims to use AI to demonstrate a parallel universe. Without an AI label, many viewers accept the sermon at face value. The allure of quick monetization through platforms like TikTok’s Creator Fund fuels the creation of such deepfakes. Tobac explains, “If you can go viral quickly, you get more money.” This economic incentive also explains why some churches experiment with AI content. In September, a Dallas church released a video of a deceased political activist speaking about Christ, generated entirely by AI. Despite the enthusiasm for AI tools among a majority of pastors—who reportedly use ChatGPT or Grammarly for sermon preparation—industry watchdogs express serious concerns. OpenAI’s October 2025 report warned that hundreds of thousands of ChatGPT users exhibited psychotic or other mental‑health symptoms during chatbot interactions. Some of these delusions had religious undertones. Lucas Hansen, co‑founder of the AI‑education nonprofit CivAI, cautions that AI may reinforce users’ pre‑existing beliefs. “AI tries to figure out what the user would like to be true and then reinforces that… those people who are already predisposed may find those beliefs even stronger.” For clergy who have experienced unauthorized impersonation, adopting AI is often viewed with skepticism. Schmitz, reflecting on his childhood fascination with Terminator movies and Skynet, lamented that technology might “extend humanity” yet ultimately erode our ability to truly know how to do things. He urged pastors to stay alert: “We would have thought ‘No, by extending technology we can travel even further…’ but we might end up doing nothing amazing at all.”