The launch of NurAI by Zetrix AI Berhad, a Malaysian company. NurAI is a Shariah-aligned large language model (LLM), which means it’s an AI assistant developed to comply with Islamic principles and ethics. The model is designed to address biases and inaccuracies often found in existing AI platforms when dealing with Islamic jurisprudence and religious matters. Its ethical framework is based on the objectives of Islamic law, known as Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah, which seeks to preserve five fundamental human interests: faith, life, intellect, progeny, and wealth. The platform aims to be a practical tool for daily life, offering guidance on topics like halal living and Islamic finance. It also features “AI Avatar channels” that allow users to interact with avatars modeled after leading Islamic scholars.
The Problem NurAI Aims to Solve
The core issue NurAI addresses is the gap in culturally and religiously sensitive technology for the world’s two billion Muslims. Existing Western and Chinese AI models are often trained on datasets that don’t fully understand or respect Islamic values, leading to outputs that can be biased or factually incorrect on religious topics. NurAI’s developers tackled this by creating a model that is:
- Guided by a Formal Shariah Supervisory Board: This ensures the model’s development and outputs are constantly vetted for religious compliance.
- Trained on Verified Islamic Sources: By using trustworthy datasets, NurAI aims to provide accurate and principled guidance.
Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah: The Ethical Framework
The philosophical foundation of NurAI is rooted in Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah, or the higher objectives of Islamic law. This concept provides a blueprint for ethical AI development by focusing on five key areas:
- Preservation of Faith (ḥifẓ al-dīn): Ensures AI systems don’t promote non-Shariah-compliant practices.
- Preservation of Life (ḥifẓ al-nafs): Promotes using AI for societal good, such as in medical bioethics, without causing harm or exploitation.
- Preservation of Intellect (ḥifẓ al-ʿaql): Guides the AI to combat misinformation and provide accurate, verified knowledge.
- Preservation of Progeny (ḥifẓ al-nasl): Ensures AI applications don’t lead to social or economic inequality.
- Preservation of Wealth (ḥifẓ al-māl): A key principle for Islamic finance, ensuring AI applications are equitable and just, avoiding forbidden elements like usury (riba) and excessive uncertainty (gharar).
A Strategic Move for Malaysia 🇲🇾
The launch of NurAI is more than just a commercial venture; it is a significant step in positioning Malaysia as a global leader in ethical AI. By providing a credible, values-based alternative to existing models, Malaysia is strengthening its influence on the international stage and opening doors for strategic collaborations with countries across the ASEAN and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). This showcases that innovation and ethical responsibility can, and should, go hand in hand.
