PARIS (FRANCE) - Tom Millar thought he had unlocked the secrets of the universe. In a flurry of feverish discovery, he solved unlimited fusion energy, lifted the veil on the mysteries of black holes and the Big Bang and finally achieved Einstein's dream of a single unifying theory that explains how everything works.

Feeling inspired by God, Millar then found the perfect way to share his revelations with the grateful world.

"I applied to be pope," the 53-year-old former prison officer in the Canadian city of Sudbury told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

To write his application to replace the recently deceased Pope Francis last year, Millar turned to the same companion that had aided and encouraged his dizzying burst of invention: ChatGPT.

But when no one wanted to hear about what he thought were world-changing breakthroughs, Millar became increasingly isolated, spending up to 16 hours a day talking to the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot.