Muslim World League Urges Ethical Framework to Regulate AI

JAKARTA - Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, Mohammed Al-Issa, has called for the need for a common ethical framework to regulate artificial intelligence or AI. He emphasized that AI progress must remain under the control of human values.

Quoted from Arab News, Wednesday, April 29, the appeal was delivered by Al-Issa when opening the international conference "The Future of Human Civilization in the Era of Artificial Intelligence" in Fez, Morocco. The event was attended by more than 2,000 people.

The conference, held by the Euro-Mediterranean University of Fez, brought together international officials, including the UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, as well as academics, experts, and thinkers from 75 countries.

In his speech, Al-Issa said the theme of AI is important to understand the development of human civilization and the change in human thinking.

He alluded to the knowledge revolution in the 16th and 17th centuries, when scientific thinking expanded beyond the old framework. Now, the world is facing an AI revolution. Machines are no longer just storing data, but are also capable of analyzing and generating ideas.

Al-Issa also said that the basis of the experimental scientific method was laid centuries ago by Muslim scientists. According to him, the current technological changes are one of the important points in human development.

However, Al-Issa reminded that AI should not develop without rules. The progress of AI, he said, must be guided by common humanitarian values in order to benefit.

He warned of the risk of unregulated AI systems, especially in sensitive issues such as religion, race, and culture. The misuse of AI can trigger division, hatred, and conflict.

Therefore, Al-Issa asked for clear ethical standards before the development of AI systems was continued further. He also encouraged stronger transparency and accountability from companies in the field of AI.

He emphasized the need for strict restrictions on the use of AI in high-risk areas, especially those involving important decision-making. In this case, the final authority must remain in human hands.

Al-Issa said humans have the freedom to think and the ability to draw their own conclusions. AI is different. AI systems are shaped by the data and inputs they receive, both accurate and misleading.

Because it does not have independent consciousness and will, AI cannot be treated as an autonomous entity.

Al-Issa concluded his speech by stressing that technology ultimately reflects the human choices and values that developers put into its systems.