Dr Mutaz Al-khatib: In Islamic tradition, AI lacks moral responsibility in principle because it's not human. Because moral responsibility for this life and the next lies with the human, it will always be the Mufti and mustafti who are responsible for fatwā

Dr Jonnie Penn: Like a tributary, the history of is AI fed by many different traditions, including operations research, bureaucracy, history of administration, as well mathematics etc. Jonnie Penn Future Intelligence CILE Center

Dr Jonnie Penn: Given Turing died before term AI emerged, most connections made between AI and Turing in the press are doing state-building work rather than intellectual history

In our last talk of the day Dr Jonnie Penn discusses how capitalism is a computational culture that simplifies decision-making, because profit is the sole attribute that needs to be optimised CILE Center Future Intelligence

Today we have a fantastic string of student presentations to end the 2024 Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics Virtual Winter School. On first is Siti Liyana Azman, Junior Fellow at Global Research Network Think Tank and Founder of Malaysian AI Legal Pathfinders

Siti Liyana Azman explains barriers to Malaysia-specific AI ethics guidance, including the legacy of colonialism's limitation of Islamic law to personal matters and the prioritisation of international standards over local ones to reassure foreign investors like Google

In a lively discussion on whether Islamic ethics should inform AI legislation in Malaysia, Prof Mohammed Ghaly: "The power of ethics is not in the law otherwise you invite backlash" "We can't ignore any spiritual ethics in AI, whether it's Jewish, Buddhist Christian or Islamic"

Hisham E. Hasan, of Jordan University of Science and Technology JUST shows findings from a study of healthcare providers' attitudes towards AI in the MENA region. Concerns included cost of AI subscriptions, inaccessibility of AI, and fear that AI would replace non-specialised pharmacists. philpapers.org/rec/HASECA-2

Interesting findings from Hisham E. Hasan's study of healthcare providers attitudes towards AI across MENA region: More experienced pharmacists have fewer concerns. Married pharmacists have more concerns., Many flagged risks of AI overselling medications. bmcmedethics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.11…

Krutika Patel explored how gen AI can induce 'decolonial curiosity ' by allowing people to visualise alternative histories in South Asia. Images reveal what people associate with freedom. But they also amplify hegemonic cultural defaults and underrepresent certain communities.

Discussion between Amy Gaeta, AIsha Sobey & Krutika Patel: Gen AI art are artefacts that should be taken seriously by art history and cultural critics! These curiosities tell stories - and also reveal structural bias through semiotic signs (in images' depictions of women etc.)

Mudassar Baig now discussing how a diversity of fatwa literature can shed light on the Metaverse's benefits and harms. Theological and juristic analysis of virtual sins and good deeds, he says, can help us navigate a minefield of unprecedented ethical challenges

Fatwa vs. Metaverse: do real world rules apply online (e.g. rules of engagement between genders)? Should virtual world be treated like a dream - for which you are not accountable? Mudassar Baig says we are constrained by same principles - but the extent of accountability varies

PhD student Mohammed Qasim Khan of Universiti Malaya discussed Islamic revivalism(s): collective efforts to restore and reawaken religion every century bc of decline and deadlock: can be education/welfare or literature-based.

We discuss whether AI can assist revivalism by perhaps, designing a unified form of Islam, appealing to all sects, and making religious leaders more charismatic, making interactions between leaders and followers more pleasant and enjoyable. But we should be very cautious!

Nursena Çetingül of Marmara Üniversitesi explores mental privacy in the era of brainwave monitoring. Chile was first country in the world to legislate on neurotech by defining neurodata like an organ...

Nursena Çetingül gives Kalāmic View of Brain-Computer Interfaces (Kalām - science that studies the fundamental doctrines of Islamic faith), to shed light on how an individual's neural data can be protected (thereby avoiding 1984-esque scenarios)

Was interviewed for WIRED yesterday about AI scientists winning chemistry and physics nobel prizes - no doubt a huge moment for AI, but do Hinton and Hassabis need more of a platform?

Delighted to share The Good Robot Podcast @goodrobotpod.bsky.social's new report on podcasting for academics! This guide and friend to new podcasters reflects on the strengths and limitations of podcasting as an academic medium. Written by Raphael Hernandes, led by @KerryAMcInerney thegoodrobot.co.uk/thereport

Forwarding a cool job post from Neda Atanasoski at Harriet Tubman Dept. of Women, Gender, & Sexuality looking for a prof/assistant prof role to advance research in AI as it relates to accessibility, sustainability, social justice, and learning, built on computational foundations ejobs.umd.edu/postings/124144