Silicon Scholars: AI and The Muslim Ummah with Riaz Hassan

[@fariahmayet1710]

I look forward to listening to this podcast on Fridays. May Allah put many blessings into this this initiative, ameen.

[@TheThinkingMuslim]

Thanks for listening - JZK

[@saadbinwaheed396]

Newly found channel and surprised by the amazing guests. Saw 3 videos till now. Salahuddin in present day, Sami Hamdi (one of the best ones. Shared in my circle) and this one. A good and unique set of guests covering different topics masha Allah.

[@TheThinkingMuslim]

Jazakallah khair and welcome - please remember to subscribe and thank you for your support.

[@muhammadhaque8931]

The fascinating discussion open up the AI issue in Muslim or Islamic perspective. A Muslim depicting, visualizing and explaining the whole issue was unthinkable few years back. Thinking Muslim is doing it very effectively. May Allah help Br. Jalal to help proliferate and propagate Islam through these notable Muslim scholars. Jazakallah Khair.

[@naturegirl4803]

Thanks a lot to the channel. There are a lot of answers given by guest Riaz sb from Islamic perspective. Loved this program. ❤

[@TheThinkingMuslim]

Jzk thank you very much

[@BactrianNomad]

This interview was really deep and interesting, thank you dear Thinking Muslim team ❤👏🏼

[@khuram72]

Another utterly brilliant podcast. My initial thoughts were that i would skip this episode as i can't see the relevance to Islam. How wrong I was!!

[@SalamMajid786]

These podcasts are so informative. Good stuff

[@rya9320]

Electronics are limited because energy they run on is limited. AI can not exist without energy

[@iyadhilal5011]

Great discussion. Of course, AI should not be left without parameters. Additionally, in its applications related to Islamic Shariah, one point I hope that Br Riaz can give insight: regarding Ijtihad: i think that human factor must be there & it can’t be ignored. As an example, deciding on metaphorical or real meaning (Majaz or Haqiqi meaning): do you think this can be decided by AI with all of it’s levels? Add to me this the nature of Arabic which makes it different than English Jazakum Allah Khayran

[@khalidkhan-qx2wn]

Mashallah very informative. Gained a lot of knowledge from Br Riaz.

[@checkmate5338]

There are two big issues i have with this discussion. First, if we define consciousness as "self-awareness" or having our first-person experience, then this has nothing to do with programming or increased data. Despite what sensationalized articles say, no advancement in AI will ever give rise to consciousness. Secondly, when people talk about AGI today, they usually can't explain any quantifiable way to measure what is AGI exactly, except with broad generalized descriptions, so talking about building AGI loses meaning. "AGI can behave like humans" or "AGI can think like humans"? In what way exactly? We had computers surpass humans in computation and several other categories decades ago, but AI/AGI is never going to have the ability to perceive or understand things (As explained by the Chinese room argument) the way humans do. It can never ponder/reflect or create and work with genuinely new abstract concepts the way humans can.

[@torosorot]

It was a very high quality session. My respects to you and your guest.

[@naturegirl4803]

He explained the subject beautifully and easily and with Islamic understanding too.

[@mahwishzafar1387]

Outstanding! Jazakumullah khayr

[@silenthill1035]

That was an interesting topic, and extremely important for Muslims. Islam has a distinct reputation which separates it from all the other religions of having the level of authenticity of its sacred texts, the interpretation of those texts, and the accounts of the ways in which those interpretations were practiced in the last 1400 years. That level of authenticity removes all doubts about the orders of Allah which makes it possible for a follower to make the biggest of sacrifices in the line of following those orders. If doubts about the authenticity of any one of the three things are created, it will impact the conviction of so many Muslims into a tailspin. Let's take this podcast as an example. If the host dies, then some of these podcasts get altered using an AI in which the host is made to say things which he didn't. As a result no one will be able to counter that alteration. Same has been done with videos of some scholars who have passed away, and in the future more such instances are going to be seen. The biggest challenge for Muslims is to counter such AI powered alterations.

[@azimabdulrehman200]

Fantastic, timely and very pertinent podcast. If the questions were measured and relevant, the answers were more so. Kudos to Jalal for bringing such topics and such imminent personalities to the podcast. May Allah reward you immensely for your efforts, ameen.

[@abubakr2981]

Very enlightening, would be interesting have follow up with Asrar Rashid or same guest about AI and end of times, dajjal coming into this environment of AI advancement where narrations mention people will use stick and stones for weaponry.

[@VROne111]

Thinking Muslim what a great fascinating alluring presentation

[@mrnor768]

Excellent podcast. Jzk

[@a4482921]

Cutting edge, inshaAllah I have hope for the future that the guidance of Islam will help us navigate through these strange times.

[@abdourahmanjallow3130]

This is a very interesting discussion, full of insights maa shaa Allah. Thank you both.

[@CEO786]

They need to get academics on like Shaykh Asrar Rashid & Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad

[@aamir3876]

Asalamualiykum Brother You all are doing amazing job, kindly invite Brother Riaz frequently, Stay blessed and Keep thriving. Aameen

[@WasheilaLaatoeKariem]

Very insightful discussion. How can I get in touch with Riaz Hassen. It's a matter of urgency.

[@rashadal-amreeki9802]

Ma'sha'Allah & Jazak'Allah khayr for this beautiful na'si'ah/dhikr today. "They said: 'Will You put on the earth one who will make there mischief and will shed blood? He said: 'I know what you do not know." (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:30). "It is He who has appointed You vicegerent on the earth and exalted some of you in rank above others, so that He may test you by means of what he has given you." (Surah al-An'am, 6:165).

[@DullahNoor]

Thank you for the analysis and especially the information about the AI uses in East Turkistan, Israhell, and Ukraine. Some parts feels a little outdated though and I think there are two related key points that still need to be unpacked. The missing part is the self-learning and self-programming nature of the technology behind AI, which was disclosed and shown to be working in early 2023 at a speed where AI can program itself faster than humans can. This means that humans have already lost control of an AI that obtains "consciousness" (i.e. the ability to make unexpected decisions), because the AI can program itself beyond paramaters set by humans, faster than humans, and in a way undetectable to humans. The related two points are this: the impact on the nature of truth and reality on our phones and digital devices (e.g. the new AI programs that are coming out that make videos that appear real and super-real (more real than reality), and that are improving in quality), and 2) the impact of increasing numbers of people turning to AI with increasing confidence and reliance for answers (rather than analyzing and reflecting with their own minds and souls). The two issues are related because as we become more used to relying on AI for new images and truth, we also find it increasingly credible and preferable, and we are walking into a trap of reliance and supplementation of our own minds and souls.

[@omarhassan7769]

An insightful and thought provoking podcast!

[@politicalmarathon1825]

Riaz Hassan sb... just awesome... Ton of enlightenment as a student of Economics & International Relations.. Although you have left some points ... there's a thirst to coverup all this now ..

[@Hafiz-Khizar-Hayat]

ماشاء الله، بہترین!

[@Khalid-ro7ci]

Riaz Hassan AI specialist has brought into foray al ghazali rahimullah's works to AI with great intelligence. Riaz Hassan is one of the best in the AI business to know both ghazali, and AI silicon prophets. He managed to bridge the gap between al ghazali's spiritual way of thinking AI with modern silicon AI prophets. Proud to know American muslims are highly qualified in both sciences, secular as well as religious sciences

[@adnanrsiddiqui]

Brilliant episode with lots of food for thought. Despite the potential to become disheartened by the potential for AI to make us redundant you highlighted a huge opportunity Muslims have in answering the fundamental questions about our purpose and existence which will be necessary as the AI Industrial Revolution gathers pace. As long as we hold fast to the knowledge Allah is the Master of all things then we can face the future with confidence and bravery inshallah.

[@FiveStarArmchairGeneral]

It is Allah who gives ruh (life) to people, so an AI can never be at the stage of humans

[@HSP9999]

This narrative about China is tiring to hear. It really boggles my mind how when it comes to Western narrative of Muslims, this channel really puts a great effort to find the nuances of the issue and comes to a nuanced conclusion, but at the same time, when it comes to China, this channel so readily repeat or build upon the China anti-muslim narrative without any real nuances of discussion. China is a massive country. Muslims aren't only concentrated in Xinjiang. There are many Han Muslims in Southern China that is further distinguished into sub-ethnic by their unique cultures. Xinjiang alone is a huge landmass populated by Muslims who identifies as members of many different ethnicities. Please, invite Mr Hussein Askary next to your channel. I believe he is an academic who can really challenge your conceived notion of anti-muslim China. You've proven yourself worthy of the name "The Thinking Muslim" when you invited someone as controversial as Mustafa Aykol who calls for liberalisation of the understanding on Islam. You had Mr Sami Hamdi several times talking about MBS normalisation with Israel, we ordinary Muslims disapprove MBS move, but with Sami Hamdi providing a truly nuanced discussion, we still genuinely don't support the normalisation BUT we understand it on a deeper level, thanks to the discussion. So why not invite Mr Hussein Askary, who has a genuinely nuanced view on China? I'm confident it would be beneficial for us Muslims to hear from him. Please I implore you, invite him. Also, please book yourself a ticket to China, spend a week or two there. Go live with the Muslim society there. See for yourself.

[@delmanorshun2471]

Whenever Muslims from Pakistan and other Muslim countries flee... Where do they run to? China or west

[@KhanKhan-uw4gr]

China bot

[@AB-yx4tr]

Thank You Again, from Germany

[@abdur-rahmansyed2407]

Fantastic discussion. How can we follow or get in touch with Riaz Hassan?

[@alquranlab]

Learn Quran And Islam Online From Teacher , Flexible Time, Online Separate Classes For Every Student. Free Trial Classes Available, 24/7 Courses 1. Quran For Kids (Nurani Qaida) 2. Quran Reading (Nazra) 3. Quran With Tajweed Course 4. Quran Translation (Tarjuma) 5. Memorizing the Quran (Hifz) 6. Quran Tafseer (Annotation) 7. Islamic Faiths (Aqeedah) 8. Practical Islam Course 9. New Muslim Course 10. Arabic Language Course 11. Life Of Muhammad (Seerat E Mustafa) 12. House Members Of Muhammad (Ahl Al Bayt) Course 13. Islamic Studies Course 14. Islam And Comparative Study of Religions 15. Islamic Scholar Course (Dars E Nizami)

[@FiveStarArmchairGeneral]

Shouldnt these AI systems built just for the task it is assigned to, instead of making it 'learn' continuously? Why would it be that it has to continuously improves it's network? You have task A, then make the AI to execute task A. Or am i missing something

[@shyff2188]

SubhanAllah, may Allah protect our brothers & sisters in China

[@msamisheikh2008]

Allah mentions the purpose of Muslim - "You are the best community ever raised for humanity-you encourage good, forbid evil, and believe in Allah. Had the People of the Book believed, it would have been better for them. Some of them are faithful, but most are rebellious" Surah 3:110

[@MrAjiii]

Would have been good to have an AI expert like Dr. Waled on here

[@daoud1256]

Fascinating discussion ) . Just wanted to say as muslims its clear to us that nothing can compare to Allah , our Creator . Whatever knowledge or abilities we have or are allowed directly or artificially to have is only by His Permission and most certainly nothing can compare to Him or even to begin to understand His Greatness. Some conundrums might be easier for us to understand as muslims in our aqeeda. I do see nonbelievers struggling with issues of morality boundaries ( for example I recently read an article about concerns for AI taking the place of relationships in single men and women in countries that are concerned with a devolving family structure, isolation and falling birth rates) sentience, etc. Also i have yet to be convinced its a tool for greater good then an engine for rapid change, social and economic disruption and upheavel. So far things look worse then they do better, looking who stands to benefit and it doesnt feel like its the masses maybe corporations and governments. I've heard some opinions, perhaps in the minority that are concerned with literally handing the steering wheel over to artificial intelligence and computers that can potentially risk lives for driving , who takes the responsibilty legally for mishaps ( so far car conpanies do not want too) . some opinions go further towards paranoia and do not want artificial means controlling their mobility or independence. Interesting times i pray we can stay steadfast in , ameen !

[@LittlePetunia100]

Please invite the great thinker in our time Sahil Adim .

[@SafiUllah-v1y]

Wa'alaikum assalam wa rahmatu'LLAHI wa barakatuh

[@shaikabutalhah8630]

Please bring a current awesome speaker,awakener whose name is SAHIL ADEEM 😊🥰🥲 and focus on asking questions related to the action plan for all muslims for the global problems in MUSLIM UMMAH or more widely,the whole world

[@zehravesile]

I dont think he can speak on AI etc dear.....he's not an expert on dis topic.....

[@shaikabutalhah8630]

@@zehravesile I am not saying that he can guide us on Ai or he is an expert. What I want is that he can come to a podcast by this channel and guide the youth and other muslims to change their mental state related to Islam and take important actions in today's world

[@H4R88N]

Like Web Spun Its breakdowns easily At the flick of the ☝🏽 And the Ruh? How does A.I. Account for that?

[@coverupper1354]

Can AI eliminate world poverty

[@cushconsultinggroup]

Masha Allah…quite an interesting discussion. I can’t help but wonder two things. 1) is there any magic involved in technology? 2) is technology and AI a modern day idol?

[@Azam1366]

Love this podcast ماشاءلله 🌙⭐لا حول و لا قوة الا بالله - There is no power or might except by Allah SWT🌙⭐ بارك الله فيك Brother riaz help establish Afg@n!st@n, Muslims and govt there suffered 20 yrs. I am proud of you. May ﷲﷻ pour May Allah SWT put lot of Barakah in our Time, Life, Rizq and Efforts . May Allah SWT accept all efforts and reunite us in highest levels of Jannat Ul Firdaus Ameen 🌷🌷🌷

[@mamingismaluddin]

Mayta aun nag complin sin sirikun.. Singud kamu.. Bang aun..

[@tamtambaj]

I found this interview absurd. All the Tech Muslims in the Bay area have no problem working in these companies regardless of the ethics of AI as long as the money is enough. They are part of the problem.

[@H4R88N]

*Beware of the* day *Man-made God*

[@عبدالله-ن6ه2ص]

Most importantly, Islamic countries must precede the countries of the world in scientific research in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and the fourth and fifth industrial revolution. Muslims must be concerned with the development of Islamic countries, as Chinese scholars did with the rise, renaissance and progress of China Countries like Korea are now competing with the most important countries in the world economically, while Islamic countries for forty years or more have human and natural resources that they did not invest optimally to be among the strongest economic countries and are still searching for financial aid from the oil-producing countries in the Arab Gulf countries!

[@Dannydreadlord]

Wow the trolley problem is an Islamic development, you should try and say this in public infront of actual Philosophers.

[@موسى_7]

AI is about doing things quickly, not perfectly. Even when it comes to safety of flying an aeroplane, AI only needs to be safer than humans and immune to silly mistakes. But when it comes to ijtihad and fiqh, we are looking for perfection, nit efficiency, so AI is never going to be taken seriously as a means of ijtihad. AI can use existing methods of understanding narrations of the Holy Prophet and 12 Imams, but AI cannot understand context as deeply as we do, and it must be manually taught to do so. AI cannot decide which piece of contradicting information is more correct either. Even when AI is taught all of those techniques, Islamic scholars may develop new techniques of historiography which make AI outdated. Making an AI mujtahid is like making an AI historian. An AI can be a history teacher, and it can read fatwas, but it can't be a historian or a mujtahid. It can help make those processes more efficient, but a human is needed to direct it. Using an AI to process information quickly (for example, search all prophetic narrations related to this or that subject) is more realistic than letting an AI be a mujtahid.

[@Raks78]

But people will need to fix the machines also , the AI/ robots won’t be free . Will have to be managed etc . I could be naive but just look at cars . Yes they are useful , but sometimes they are not worth the hassle they put us through . It will be more chaotic anyhow

[@BuddyBro86]

The problem i am facing is that im learing next js ts these sorta stuff. Which will lead to ai but i don't know if this is really halal or haram yani i dont have idea the tool is what i see and it can make things easier but is this really halal, yani i have seen different opinions but no one for sure says if its right or not and is it right to invest time and energy in it. Can anyone answer this best or is Riaz Hassan the best person to answer this. And how can i get answers to this and kinda questions

[@zaryalai54]

Question: look at social media today and compulsive behavior of the majority which is damaging our mind and affecting our consciousness. What about AGI?

[@icelerate8141]

One could justify a limited form of UBI by pointing out how AI is trained using human material such as text written on the internet or art. So someone who spends a lot of time online might be justified UBI. If unemployment rate massively increases despite wealth and production massively increasing, some form of UBI or last resort employment could work to alleviate that problem. Then again, AI could create just as many jobs if not more than it takes away such as in field of cyber security, AI security, AI development, AI regulation.

[@mohdnorzaihar2632]

How could muslim developed Ai that rejuvenate revitalised "global boiling"??

[@najmaansari5217]

trolley dilemma, very interesting. need injection of some muslim ethics in this field. and imam ghazali's highlighting the concept of uncertainty....excellent

[@Nom_AnorVSJedi]

Can you be a good Muslims and be a patriot for your country, nation, civilization and Race at the same time? For instance can a Han Chinese ever be a good Muslim if he puts China and the Han Race before the Ummah, revering Confucius before Muhammad?

[@M.Sid9.3]

There is no tribalism in Islam. All equal except in deed/taqwa in the sight of Allah

[@paulheydarian1281]

The short answer is No. Nationalism is a mental illness of the 19th & 20th centuries. There's no reason to believe that nation states will endure into the distant future. Read classic history books, not the woke stuff.

[@delmanorshun2471]

​@@paulheydarian1281You are utterly wrong. The opposite is the case! Based on evidence of this ongoing trend, more nations states will form in the near future. People are endlessly cognisant of their own racial, linguistic and ethnic affiliation

[@infoage265]

​@@delmanorshun2471 You're both wrong. The truth is in the middle. The Prophet peace be upon him has told us blameworthy tribalism is not a matter of loving you own people and supporting them but it is supporting them in falsehood and preferring their ideals above the truth. There must be balance.

[@KhanKhan-uw4gr]

@@infoage265 there is no place of tribalism in Islam

[@msamisheikh2008]

Asalamalkuam all - AI can be used positive to help & develop better mankind , not to destroy mankind

[@imadeddeen]

Jak

[@Bilal21160]

BarakAllahu feekum, better write it out brother or sister

[@Choongani]

Expected more from you than Sinophobia and underhandedness.

[@TheThinkingMuslim]

Criticism of China’s genocidal policies towards the Uyghur Muslims is not Sinophobia

[@saliksayyar9793]

Surely you need to introduce your guests. Direct democracy now becomes possible and individuals can assign their taxes to specific categories by percentage and directly vote on all important issues. AI could also assist the judicial system

[@Bilal21160]

Democracy is kufr and not allowed in islam.

[@muj515]

"Do not raise your children the way your (parents) raised you. They were born for a different time" - 'Ali (رضي الله عنه) As a father of two toddlers how can I prepare my children from a young age to deal with the challenges that they will experience in their lifetime (AIs etc) which will be very different to what I have experienced? I have already noticed many children's cartoons including a robot as one of the characters to normalise interactions and possibly trust with robots. If my son and daughter can one day sit on a beach with all the free time in the world whilst the AI bots take care of their every need, what should they do with their time? Is sitting and doing nothing whilst others serve us from good Islamic etiquette?

[@nabeelmallick8941]

An outstanding episode! Riveting, engaging, fascinating, frightening and seriously thought-provoking! Many thanks for producing this, @TheThinkingMuslim. What an articulate and knowledgeable speaker Riaz Hassan is, mashallah! The widespread and pervasive impact of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) will make the Industrial Revolution look like a relatively damp squib, particularly because of its speed of deployment and number and variety of applications. Government regulation-making works slowly and simply won't be able to grasp and keep up with the pace of AGI uses. There will simply be too many nuanced use-cases to contend with. Also, gaining concensus on regulatory and governance considerations will be problematic because of the complexity of apparent and potential outcomes of AGI applications. Much debate and division among people will ensue, which is not good. The sheer quantity of positive possibilities that AGI will offer is so exciting. We're lucky to live in these interesting times. I do, however, feel uneasy about the consequences of AGI being a tool for mischief and evil because of an inevitable absence of regulatory and governing frameworks. Shaytaan's objective is to create disruption so that he can lead us all to hell. Ubiquitous AGI run with ill-intent is a perfect environment for him to turbo-boost his objective. We are also told that the Dajjal will have access to super-advanced technologies, the like of which humankind has never seen before. These rapid technological step-changes are also game-changing and present a multitude of known and, as yet, unknown dangers. The need for believers in Allah to understand the direct and indirect consequences of AGI will become increasingly I important to help them evaluate and navigate their judgment about what's right and wrong. It's a really tough ask given that brand new paradigms will quickly emerge. A better understanding of the Quran, Hadith and scholarly opinion has to be the foundational "guard rail" that Riaz talked about. This upcoming new era of AGI will pose many tests for us in many aspects of our lives. But it is a test because Allah has willed it in His plan. And He is and will always be the best of planners.

[@Azam1366]

@riazHassan