Malaysia’s prime minister warns Muslim societies against falling behind on AI
‘Without understanding artificial intelligence, we will be colonized,’ says Anwar Ibrahim, urging scholars to embrace technology while safeguarding faith and moral values
ISTANBUL (MNTV) – Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged Muslim scholars and communities to keep pace with artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies, warning that falling behind could leave them vulnerable to outside influence.
“Without knowledge, we will fail. Without understanding artificial intelligence, we will be colonized,” Anwar said at an award ceremony Sunday in Kozhikode in southern Indian state of Kerala.
He made the remarks after receiving the inaugural Excellence Award instituted by the Sheikh Abubakr Foundation at the Markazu Saquafathi Sunniyya in Karanthur.
Anwar said religious scholars need to recognize the “new realities and challenges of the present time,” including modern technology, new sciences, digital transformation and AI.
But technological advancement must not come at the expense of religious and ethical principles, he said.
“We need the knowledge. We need the expertise,” he said, adding that Muslim societies must also ensure that technological development protects their “faith and moral values.”
Anwar warned of the risk of values being introduced through new technologies in ways that could undermine faith and ethics, particularly when societies lack sufficient knowledge to understand and shape those technologies themselves.
He also expressed concern that Muslim scholars and societies were not paying enough attention to the challenges posed by AI, despite growing debate over its risks among leading figures in the technology industry.
He called for greater engagement with AI while ensuring that technological progress remains grounded in knowledge, ethics and religious values.
Anwar was presented with the Excellence Award by Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, the Grand Mufti of India and a prominent Sunni scholar.
The Malaysian prime minister traveled to Kerala after attending the BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi.
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