Comparative Study of Western and Islamic AI Ethics Frameworks

Abstract

The swift evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing societies across the globe, accompanied by a host of ethical issues concerning AI bias, opacity, privacy risks, and a lack of accountability in AI systems. The current international AI governance systems are largely Western-centric in their approach, such as the European Union’s AI Act and UNESCO’s ethical guidelines for AI. However, it is argued that these systems may overlook other ethical systems and cultural perspectives in international AI governance systems. This research aims to carry out a comparative analysis of Western AI governance systems and Islamic ethical systems based on the Holy Qur’an, Hadith, and Maqasid al-Shariah. The research will focus on important ethical concepts in Islamic thought: justice (‘Adl), trustworthiness (Amanah), accountability (Mas’uliyyah), and societal welfare (Maslahah), and their applicability to current AI ethics debates. The research revealed that there are significant similarities between Western AI governance systems and Islamic ethical systems in terms of fairness, transparency, accountability, and societal welfare. However, there are also differences in terms of underlying ethical philosophies. This research suggests that combining these perspectives will lead to a more inclusive and culturally sensitive international AI governance system.