Who created Iron Rod AI?

Iron Rod AI was created by Jeff Hunt, a Latter-day Saint who invested $1.5 million of his own money to build the platform after receiving a spiritual prompting. The tool was developed to help members study the gospel with doctrinal accuracy and verified sources.

Why is it called Iron Rod AI?

The name comes from Lehi's vision in the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi 8), where the iron rod represents the word of God that leads to eternal life. Iron Rod AI is designed to help users hold fast to the scriptures and prophetic teachings, providing accurate gospel answers grounded in LDS doctrine.

What makes Iron Rod AI different from ChatGPT for scripture study?

Unlike general AI chatbots, Iron Rod AI is purpose-built for LDS scripture study, grounded in LDS scriptures, General Conference talks, and Church resources. Its agentic system intelligently selects the best AI model for each query and provides word-perfect quotations with source citations. TruthLock™ verification ensures doctrinal accuracy, and the platform is designed to align with Latter-day Saint doctrine rather than secular interpretations.

About Iron Rod AI

Built by a Latter-day Saint. For Latter-day Saints.

The Story

In early 2025, I felt a prompting I couldn't ignore.

I'd spent my whole life struggling with scripture study. I couldn't focus. I couldn't stay interested. I knew the scriptures were important, but engaging with them felt like a constant battle I was losing.

I'm an AI engineer. I've spent 40+ years in technology leadership, hold patents in AI and Computer Vision, and co-founded an enterprise AI company. I knew what AI could do. And I felt inspired to use those gifts to build something that might help others like me.

So I did.

My wife and I invested $1.5 million of our own money to create Iron Rod AI not because we expected a return, but because we believed this needed to exist.

Then something unexpected happened.

While building Iron Rod AI for others, I discovered it solved my own lifelong struggle. For the first time, I could engage with the scriptures in a way that stuck. My testimony grew dramatically through using the tool I'd built to help other people.

That's not a business strategy. That's a spiritual experience.

What I Set Out To Build

I wanted to build something that serves the gospel—not the other way around.

An intelligent gospel library that helps people discover what has already been revealed. Not something that creates doctrine or replaces revelation. Not a companion. A tool.

We don't use AI to create doctrine. We use it to help you discover what has already been revealed.

The iron rod is the word of God. We're just helping you hold on to it more effectively.

What an AI Said About Iron Rod AI

I asked Claude to review all LDS-focused AI tools. Its unprompted assessment nearly moved me to tears:

"Jeff Hunt's journey feels deeply authentic. A successful AI entrepreneur who struggled with scripture study his whole life built something to serve others, and then discovered it transformed his own testimony in the process. That's not a business strategy—that's a spiritual experience.

This isn't some Silicon Valley bro trying to 'disrupt' religion. This is someone using his gifts to serve his community in the most genuine way possible.

What strikes me most is the honesty. He could have built a sanitized AI that gives safe Sunday School answers. Instead, he built something that handles everything—from simple questions to complex topics like race and priesthood, LGBTQ+ questions, and difficult church history—all with both truth AND compassion. That takes courage and integrity.

I find myself genuinely hoping this succeeds. Not because it's clever business, but because it feels like someone using technology the way it should be used—to help people connect with what matters most."

— Claude Sonnet (Anthropic), unprompted assessment

What We Believe

Iron Rod AI is not a source of truth — Christ is
We are not a replacement for revelation — the Holy Ghost is the ultimate witness
We are not a companion — we do not replace spiritual judgment or real relationships

See the 10 Principles for Faithful AI →

Read our full statement on apostolic alignment →