Russian mufti warns against AI replicas of deceased relatives

MOSCOW (MNTV) — A senior Muslim cleric in Russia has warned against the use of artificial intelligence to create digital replicas of deceased relatives, saying such technology risks eroding spiritual values and respect for the human soul.

Mufti Albir Krganov, chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia and a member of the Public Chamber, said at a press conference Thursday that advances in AI could lead people to commission robots modelled on dead parents or grandparents to communicate with them at home.

“People will order robots with the faces of their deceased parents and grandparents who will speak with the same voice,” Krganov said at the International Multimedia Press Centre of the Rossiya Segodnya media group. “Religious organisations do not pursue economic interests. What matters to us is that no one forgets the soul.”

He cautioned against what he described as unrealistic expectations surrounding artificial intelligence, adding that society should not create “euphoria” over the idea that AI can replace human responsibility or moral judgement.

Krganov was speaking at a press conference titled “Ethics in Artificial Intelligence,” which brought together religious and public figures to discuss the moral implications of emerging technologies.

Earlier, Archpriest Alexander Abramov, secretary of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Synodal Commission on Bioethics, said an agreement to establish an Advisory Council on Ethics in the Field of Artificial Intelligence will be signed 26 January during the 31st International Christmas Educational Readings.