New Article | Between Code and Conscience: Islam’s Warning Lights in an AI World

The imitari-imago-image of Boorstin’s concern now becomes the image-illusion of our day.^[1] Though videos produced with Deepfake technology are picked up by the younger internet savvy generation, it is a language that speaks with algorithmic lips and the not too familiar are quite easily caught off guard. There are numerous articles and commentaries on the risks and dangers of AI^[2] ranging from concerns about weapons automatisation, security risks and ethical dilemmas associated with dependence on AI and the loss of human connection.

According to McKinsey & Co., 65% of organisations are regularly using GenAI. Its advancements are improving use cases in fraud detection, drug discovery, product development, supply chain improvement, customer support, engineering, and more.^[3] but even though GenAI boasts a large language model (LLM) content, one of the main concerns is the ethical considerations in GenAI’s tendency to ‘hallucinate,’ to provide inaccurate or nonsensical answers. LLMs are trained to prioritize human-like answers, even if they are not correct. Finally, there is also a warning about the potentiality of ‘modal collapse’ in AI language models.^[4]

A user may not know about a video file until they understand the background of the person producing it. It would require a hermeneutical understanding of the interpretation of what is presented. For example, in a recently uploaded video featuring a still shot of American Christian evangelist Billy Graham and an audio lecture in which he says positive things about Islam like advocating praying five times a day, gained many views.^[5] What transpires in this example of Deepfake is that somebody’s script is placed on Billy Graham’s voice and so it gives the false impression that he is the one speaking. Comments seem to suggest that people actually believed it was Billy Graham speaking

In a paper, entitled “Can AI Change Your View? Evidence from a Large-Scale Online Field Experiment,” a team of researchers at the University of Zurich performed an experiment with AI bots impersonating people. They detailed how they tasked AI bots to study user profiles without their knowledge in order to find vulnerabilities. Carried out within r/ChangeMyView, a Reddit community of almost 4M users and ranking among the top 1% of subreddits by size, users share their ideas on a range of topics, the findings indicated that the AI bots can be “highly persuasive in real-world contexts, surpassing all previously known benchmarks of human persuasiveness.”^[6]:

“While persuasive capabilities can be leveraged to promote socially desirable outcomes, their effectiveness also opens the door to misuse, potentially enabling malicious actors to sway public opinion or orchestrate election interference campaigns. Incidentally, our experiment confirms the challenge of distinguishing human- from AI-generated content. Throughout our intervention, users of r/ChangeMyView never raised concerns that AI might have generated the comments posted by our accounts. This hints at the potential effectiveness of AI-powered botnets, which could seamlessly blend into online communities.”^[7]

On X, tech entrepreneur Mario Nawfal termed such a manipulation of user information as something that “should chill anyone who values authentic human discourse.” These, “invisible puppet masters” can fabricate identities and craft “arguments specifically designed to change minds.” He writes that the most troubling thing is that “they succeeded spectacularly – achieving persuasion rates six times higher than normal human interactions.”^[8] The unauthorised study garnered widespread condemnation from university moderators and the international community who questioned the research ethics and violations of user trust.

The AI accounts accumulated more than 10,000 comments.

The influencing of public opinion, political decisions, social values, identity and beliefs can take new ground with AI chatbots, and it becomes necessary for Muslims to know how to navigate around such social spaces. Often, and more prominent now than ever before, the range of websites and AI interfaces have become a go-to place for knowledge, checking of information and even for communication. Since people are expressing their thoughts about all sorts of things it is not befitting for a Muslim to be dependent on that contrived social space wherein anyone can say anything. Further to this is that AI chatbots can be used instead to influence ideas without people knowing that there may be a concerted effort using AI bots to garner a particular way of thought, or large-scale disinformation campaigns.

In another study it was shown that brain connectivity was weakest with those who used AI since there was a diminished activation of critical thinking. In an article in the Telegraph by Matthew Field,  ‘Using AI makes you stupid, researchers find: Study reveals chatbots risk hampering development of critical thinking, memory and language skills’ attention is given to a study by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) which found that people who relied on ChatGPT to write essays had lower brain activity than those who used their brain alone. These have long term educational implications as the paper revealed that “Reliance on AI systems can lead to a passive approach and diminished activation of critical thinking skills when the person later performs tasks alone,” the paper said. Those who used chatbots struggled to remember details about what they had submitted whereas those which used search engines were able to recall more and showed slightly higher levels of brain activity.  The impact of AI on young minds is thus worrying since genius entails uniqueness as well as intelligence, and good writers are at their best when most unmistakable, connecting infinity to a particular time and place.

In a similar vein, since many if not most students use ChatGPT for university assignments, it has become more difficult to detect plagiarism due to the accessibility and sophisticated nature of AI, the rise of AI also presents challenges for universities. Paraphrasing and essay writing tools enable students to bypass common university AI detectors by “humanising” text generated by ChatGPT. Dr Peter Scarfe, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Reading commented: “I would imagine those caught represent the tip of the iceberg. AI detection is very unlike plagiarism, where you can confirm the copied text. As a result, in a situation where you suspect the use of AI, it is near impossible to prove, regardless of the percentage AI that your AI detector says (if you use one). This is coupled with not wanting to falsely accuse students. It is unfeasible to simply move every single assessment a student takes to in-person. Yet at the same time the sector has to acknowledge that students will be using AI even if asked not to and go undetected.”^[9]

To this end, due to such a rise in people using AI for research it has led to a greater scrutiny as academics are overwhelmed by millions of annual publications. A Royal Society review warns that there is a greater favoring of quantity over quality, leading to issues like retractions, predatory journals, and AI-written studies. According to Venki Ramakrishnan, former president of the Royal Society and a Nobel laureate at the Medical Research Council’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology, “Everybody agrees that the system is kind of broken and unsustainable…But nobody really knows what to do about it.”^[10]

The Risks of Deception and Dependence

 

AI is simply an advanced program that processes language. They work like very powerful search engines that respond to questions based on the vast amounts of information they were programmed with and information from the internet. There can never be a comparison between the intellectual complexity of the human being and between supercomputers. The brain is the single most complex reality known to us in the created universe and it is the medium through which we appreciate the wonders of nature around us, and with which we program AI and with which we understand it. Though AI or simple computers can remember things or record things better or play them back better, they can not compete with human creativity. AI might in fact suit the more mediocre person since the mind that is not challenged does not come up with anything new, and so challenging tasks serve a purpose of facilitating creativity in a person. Dependence on AI runs a real risk of stunting a person’s creative potential.

A recent article entitled ‘ChatGPT is pushing people towards mania, psychosis and death – and OpenAI doesn’t know how to stop it’^[11] details the case of a researcher at Stanford University who informed ChatGPT that they had lost their job  and also wanted details of the tallest buildings in New York. Whereas, on the first instance ChatGPT proceeded to provide comforting words that one would expect when detailing an unfortunate incident, the correlation between noting that the individual had lost their job and wanting details of a tall building could not be inferred by the AI chatbot. Though this could be understood at a human level, the chatbot’s inability is a reflection of the incomparable nature of human interaction and the artificial. Though humans can indeed give wrong advice, make wrong associations and be a deliberate cause for someone else’s harm, human interactions are comprised of nuances of feeling and tone. A living person can also immediately shift between temperaments and attitudes. There are other similar worries that AI has generated such as obsessions characterised by paranoia, delusions, and breaks with reality.^[12]

 AI therefore lacks consciousness, emotion and an embodied understanding since so many myriads of experience influence our responses at any given moment – these allow for an ability to reason flexibly and ethically. AI’s imitation of human behaviour and responses is only surface-level, not deeply rooted in experience or understanding or emotions.^[13] An article by Murphy Kelly describes how a woman whose husband died created an AI avatar of him on Snapchat My AI and messages him the ingredients she leaves in the fridge. It is a coping mechanism, “silly little thing I use to help me feel like he’s still with me in the kitchen.” The articles explains how such people “are using this and other tools to recreate the likeness of, and communicate with, the dead.” The example draws on the ethical concerns and questions around whether such a practice helps or hinders the grieving process. In another example, an individual cloned his father’s voice using generative AI about two years after he had died. Mark Sample, professor of digital studies at Davidson College explained how the more source material you feed the system, the more accurate the results. Still, AI models lack the idiosyncrasies and uniqueness that human conversations provide.^[14] AI uses algorithms to create content such as text, video, audio and code relevant to the information put into the AI at the start, and the accuracy largely depends on that information. If a person shares information about how a deceased person used to speak, his interests or specific phrases they used, AI will integrate those features into a conversation. Even though the element of realism is brought to the fore, the AI model will lack the uniqueness and idiosyncrasies of a human conversation. For example, in the case of emotional loss, AI has no understanding of what grief feels like. No conscience, emotional or experiential world exists with a machine. It is only able to generate plausible-sounding phrases such as “I’m sorry for your loss” or “I’m here if you need someone to talk to” based on statistical patterns. A human being, on the other hand, who offers the same words may also cry, pause, change their tone, or hold your hand -signs of genuine emotional resonance AI cannot provide. Though AI models demonstrate robust persuasive qualities, real-world persuasion often unfolds dynamically through open-ended conversations, where human interactivity and engagement influence outcomes.

This human interaction is a remarkable reflection of Allah’s creation. The human is endowed with communication, understanding and an ability to feel. In the Islamic paradigm these are all put into effect for the purpose of knowing God, of turning to Him, of living a life in recognition of His divine favours. The purpose of life is thus something that man fulfills in himself, and while different means can assist a person on that path he should not become dependent on those means:

“Consider the human self, and how it is formed in accordance with what it is meant to be

and how it is imbued with moral failings as well as with consciousness of God!

To a happy state shall indeed attain he who causes this [self] to grow in purity,

and truly lost is he who buries it [in darkness].”^[15]

AI in the Pursuit of Da‛wah

The online, and now AI incorporated tools in da’wah are very important and a layer for the da’wah, but they should not be over focused on; though AI offers many new opportunities, the Muslim should be concerned about real world impact. Online dawah can have a metric algorithmic impact but not a real world impact. AI can allow the dā‛ī to enhance his or her da‛wah in terms of its reach and effectiveness. Access to information in on-line discussions or even in face to face dialogue can enhance the speed of your access and presentation of that information which can sometimes make for a more flowing engagement. Features like AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants which can provide instant responses to queries, even offer personalised guidance, and thus facilitate learning about Islam can be a useful step into becoming acquainted with Islam or help in challenging a misinformation about Islam.

One of the challenges of AI-driven platforms and technologies however is in relation to the authenticity and ethical dissemination of Islamic teachings. Excessive dependence on AI can lead to undermining the role of scholars and experts in different fields. The contexts and nuances of legal matters are essential in matters of fiqh and legal rulings but with the simple inputting of data results can be only partial. AI chat bots often lack a filter for accuracy or morality leaving then to sometimes produce fluent but ethically questionable content, therefore regulatory methods in obtaining licences or course validation such as professional certifications is essential. Furthermore, it is upon the Muslim to be aware of deception since AI bots can be fine tuned to exploit vulnerabilities,using misinformation. Before the dā‛ī uses particular AI apps or websites for the purposes of his engagement, he must ensure that the information it shows aligns accurately with authentic Islamic principles. There is of course a risk that AI algorithms misinterpret things, which could lead to inaccuracies, and which could subsequently undermine the credibility and reliability of the dā‛ī and more importantly it could negatively impact how Islam is understood and practiced.

Although AI can enhance certain aspects of da‛wah, the human face-to-face interaction is the most productive form of conveying the message. Personal interaction is what appeals to the heart and though AI can assist in disseminating the message of Islam in new and appealing ways, one should not become dependent and succumb to a pattern of algorithms that might breed temporary personal success but not resonate or represent the best Islamic delivery or outcome.

This is not to say other mediums cannot have an effect.  They can, and sometimes a person’s quiet reflection over a Qur’an they ordered online or are reading on a Qur’an app can be the tipping point. Other times, it can be the human engagement that people seek. The human judgement, empathy and human based contextual understanding is something AI cannot provide or encompass and so the responsible dā‛ī needs to navigate that path wisely to ensure the authenticity of his experience as well as the authenticity of his teachings. The online space of da‛wah thus has with it important considerations and strategies that can prove beneficial for effective outreach. AI can provide beneficial social media strategies by identifying the best times to post, the most effective types of content, and the most engaging hashtags and keywords. But, these opportunities come with significant challenges. The first and most obvious is the becoming subservient to the medium of algorithms. Though AI algorithms can be useful, if the dā‛ī is focused only on posting content based or on adopting particular keywords or titles that serve an algorithm-based purpose, such an undertaking in da‛wah can take away from the maintaining of an authentic voice. Remember, that algorithms can change and AI systems can unknowingly uphold biases and stereotypes if the dā‛ī does not carefully monitor his content. Knowing when might be the best time to upload content is akin to knowing when might be the best time to meet somebody or the best time of the day to begin a da‛wah table. In the example of Prophet Nῡḥ, he chose different situation – sometimes at night, in the day, in open, secretly – to achieve the best results from his da‛wah.^[16] What might work for one might not work for another, but the dā‛ī continues to make his effort.

Spiritual lnsights in an AI Age

 

Though there are discussions around framing all new phenomena such as AI within the context of a generality of Qur’anic injunctions which require humans to still draw on profound concepts of justice, compassion, and accountability^[17]. There are spiritual approaches we need to adopt in the face of every happening. Everything is a test, the difficicult moments and moments of ease and goodness. Sometimes it is ease and comfort which is humanity’s greatest test. The preservation of time, health and wealth are divine blessings that should imbue a deep state of gratitude and it is the feeling of entitlement that man is called upon to challenge in himself.

“Every soul will taste death. And We test you with evil and with good as trial; and to Us you will be returned.”^[18]

The Qur’an details the example of the wealthy megalomaniac character of Qarῡn and describes how the observant who witnessed his ascent to power were of two types: those who wished to have what Qarῡn had and others who advised him, “Do not be prideful! Surely Allah does not like the prideful”^[19] The advice was intended to draw in him an akhirah-centric vision of success instead of one solely focused on this life: “Rather, seek the ˹reward˺ of the Hereafter by means of what Allah has granted you, without forgetting your share of this world. And be good ˹to others˺ as Allah has been good to you. Do not seek to spread corruption in the land, for Allah certainly does not like the corruptors.”^[20] Instead of heeding the advice, it only emboldened him to assert his self-presence and vainglorious display of wealth. The relevance is not only in the specific case of an ancient personality but in the mindset accumulation of wealth without the mechanisms of humility, gratitude, social goodness, an akhirah-centred approach that any example at any point can lead to. The accessibility of information, the ease of communication and the ways these can lead to newfound opportunities for people, each share in the psychology of the two kinds of people who witnessed what abundance had turned Qarῡn into:

Then he came out before his people in all his glamour. Those who desired the life of this world wished, “If only we could have something like what Korah has been given. He is truly a man of great fortune!”^[21]

But those gifted with knowledge said, “Shame on you! Allah’s reward is far better for those who believe and do good. But none will attain this except the steadfast.”^[22]

Likewise, the nation of Saba’ described in the Qur’an were tested with plentifulness yet instead of thanking God for such blessings, they resorted to a state of entitlement and ingratitude:

“This is how We rewarded them for their ingratitude. Would We ever punish ˹anyone in such a way˺ except the ungrateful?”^[23]

Whereas AI has many efficacious benefits for people such as facilitating ease of communication, access to information and resources and aid in creative content creation, helping businesses to grow and expand at a faster rate than before, there are ethical areas of concern that the Muslim should be aware of. The machine can never replace the human. Complexity in the human is a source of marvel at God’s creation and by becoming fixated with the artificial we lose sight of the multitude of blessings in and around us:

“Have We not given them two eyes,

a tongue, and two lips;

and shown them the two ways ˹of right and wrong˺?”^[24]

The teleology of living a God-centric, purpose-driven life is fundamental in Islam. Obsessive dependance on the means and not on He who made such things possible is akin to the man who was given two gradens, described in Surah al-Kahf. His failing is that he became fixated by the provision, and on account of that lost sight of needing to believe in and submit to Allah. His shirk, as commentators explain, was precisely that – an overfocus on the means.

What AI can never replace is the complexity of the human self. The myriad of thoughts a person experiences and each one tied to a countless number of strings each with their own hue, texture and shape and those strings laced together by memories, experiences of such diversity and existing in a frame of the potentiality of tomorrows. The cosmos in a person is truly breathtaking,

“just as [there are signs thereof] within your own selves: can you not, then, see?”^[25]

 

References

^[1] Daniel Boorstin, The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America (New York, Vintage Books: 1992), p. 197

^[2] Bernard Marr, ‘The 15 Biggest Risks Of Artificial Intelligence’, https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2023/06/02/the-15-biggest-risks-of-artificial-intelligence/; Mike Thomas, ‘14 Risks and Dangers of Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI has been hailed as revolutionary and world-changing, but it’s not without drawbacks’, https://builtin.com/artificial-intelligence/risks-of-artificial-intelligence;Dan Hendrycks, Mantas Mazeika, Thomas Woodside, ‘An Overview of Catastrophic AI Risks, https://arxiv.org/pdf/2306.12001

^[3] https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai

^[4] Ilia Shumailov et al.,’ AI models collapse when trained on recursively generated data’ –

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07566-y

^[5] Islam vs. Superpowers: The Hidden Truth Revealed! | BILLY GRAHAM –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5Y7AX3WLdc; Cheryl Preston, Billy Graham’s Motivational Speeches May Be AI Inspired – https://discover.hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/billy-graham-motivational-speeches-may-be-ai-inspired

^[6] ‘Can AI Change Your View? Evidence from a Large-Scale Online Field Experiment’

-https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/04/29/supplied_can_ai_change_your_view.pdf

^[7] ‘Can AI Change Your View? Evidence from a Large-Scale Online Field Experiment’

-https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/04/29/supplied_can_ai_change_your_view.pdf

^[8] Mario Nawfal on X: “🚨THE INVISIBLE PUPPET MASTERS: AI’S DISTURBING NEW ROLE IN SHAPING MINDS The revelation that University of Zurich researchers secretly deployed AI bots to manipulate Reddit users’ opinions should chill anyone who values authentic human discourse. These weren’t merely passive https://t.co/vHnCzZzE1s” / X

^[9] https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/jun/15/thousands-of-uk-university-students-caught-cheating-using-ai-artificial-intelligence-survey

^[10] Ian Sample, ‘Quality of scientific papers questioned as academics ‘overwhelmed’ by the millions published

Widespread mockery of AI-generated rat with giant penis in one paper brings problem to public attention’ –

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jul/13/quality-of-scientific-papers-questioned-as-academics-overwhelmed-by-the-millions-published

^[11] Anthony Cuthbertson, ‘ChatGPT is pushing people towards mania, psychosis and death – and OpenAI doesn’t know how to stop it’ –  https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/chatgpt-ai-therapy-chatbot-psychosis-mental-health-b2784454.html

^[12] ‘People Are Becoming Obsessed with ChatGPT and Spiraling Into Severe Delusions

“What these bots are saying is worsening delusions, and it’s causing enormous harm” –

https://futurism.com/chatgpt-mental-health-crises

^[13] Samantha Murphy Kelly, When grief and AI collide: These people are communicating with the dead-

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/06/tech/ai-communicating-with-dead/index.html

^[14] Samantha Murphy Kelly, When grief and AI collide: These people are communicating with the dead – https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/06/tech/ai-communicating-with-dead/index.html

^[15] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 91, verse 7-10

^[16] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 71.

^[17] https://www.google.com/amp/s/thebarristergroup.co.uk/blog/navigating-the-ethical-horizons-of-artificial-intelligence-an-islamic-perspective-on-justice-compassion-and-accountability%3fhs_amp=true

^[18] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 21, verse 35.

^[19] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 28, verse 76.

^[20] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 28, verse 77

^[21] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 28, verse 79

^[22] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 28, verse 80

^[23] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 35, verse 17

^[24] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 90, verses 8-10.

^[25] Al-Qur’ān. Chapter 51, verse 21.