Muslim societies, including scholars, are not paying enough attention to the challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI), Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has warned.
He said the lack of attention was concerning, particularly when leading figures in the AI industry themselves were raising concerns about the technology’s potential impact on society.
“Muslim scholars are the least worried. Muslim societies are not following the challenges,” Anwar said in a speech at Markaz Saquafathi Sunniya here.
He was speaking during an event honouring Indian Grand Mufti Sheikh Abu Bakar Ahmad for his contributions to Islamic scholarship and education.
Anwar said Muslims could not afford to ignore AI, digital transformation and other emerging technologies, warning that a lack of knowledge could leave societies dependent on those who control such expertise.
Without sufficient knowledge and technological capabilities, he said, societies could eventually become vulnerable to external influence and be “weaponised by foreign forces”.
However, Anwar stressed that embracing technology should not come at the expense of religious and moral values.
He said Muslims needed to develop technological expertise while maintaining a strong foundation in faith and ethics.
Anwar also noted a proposal to establish an Asia forum to examine how societies could maximise the benefits of AI while preserving their values and religious principles.
He said he would ask his colleagues to study the proposal and support the initiative.
His remarks come after US-based AI company Anthropic released a report detailing how bad actors had used its Claude AI system for activities including state-sponsored surveillance and propaganda operations.
Anthropic also said its system had been used to disrupt a commercial election manipulation platform that primarily targeted people in Malaysia. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission is currently examining the report.
At the event, Anwar was also presented with the inaugural Excellence Award by the Sheikh Abubacker Foundation, becoming the first recipient of the honour.
The award highlighted the close ties between Anwar and Sheikh Abu Bakar, who was conferred Malaysia’s International Tokoh Ma’al Hijrah Award in 2023 — the country’s highest honour for influential Muslim scholars.
