Rabat – Moroccan engineer and AI expert Ibtihal Aboussad has called on Muslim communities to stop sitting on the sidelines and start leading in the world of artificial intelligence (AI).
Speaking last week at the Muslim Council of Britain, she said that Muslims have a duty to understand and shape new technologies, especially as AI becomes more powerful and more present in daily life.
“AI is everywhere, so we cannot sit this one out,” she said. “When social media exploded in the early 2010s, most Muslims and Muslim institutions were not ready,” Aboussad added, explaining that social media platforms began shaping how Muslim youth think.
She added that humans began using AI in dangerous ways, giving the example of the Israeli Occupation Forces’ genocidal war against Palestinians. “And in Palestine, we’re witnessing the most disturbing use of tech in modern warfare,” she said.
“So what is our response? Are we building the tools that protect them? Are we training our youth and our communities to understand these models? Are we developing alternatives to serve justice instead of oppression? Or are we sitting back and hoping that someone else will handle the technical details?” she questioned.
The Moroccan engineer warned that ignoring AI could allow others to build systems that go against Muslim values, and that every delay means losing more ground.
It’s still possible to do things differently in the AI revolution
Aboussad told the audience that Muslims are entrusted with truth and justice, and that this responsibility also applies to science and technology. She recalled that the Prophet told Muslims to change wrong with their hands.
She also stressed that it’s not too late. “The great news is we are still early enough in this shift to do things differently. And we cannot let anyone tell us that tech is tech and business is business. We cannot let anyone convince us that technical work is morally neutral,” Aboussad explained.
The young engineer, who studied at Harvard University and worked at Microsoft, has become known for speaking out about the ethical dangers of AI. Earlier this year, she made headlines when she interrupted a presentation by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, accusing the company of being complicit in Israel’s genocide against Palestinians.
