God's Perception Of Humans Playing God Via Tech

When first trying to discern how God would feel about humans playing God through technologies like Artificial Intelligence, cloning, and genetic engineering you must answer two questions the scientific community still grapple over today. These two issues must be resolved in tandem, firstly what makes humans and their minds unique and similarly the difference between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Human Intelligence (HI). Mahoud Dhaoudi articulates this conundrum as, “basic research into AI will force researchers and others to follow Socrates admonition to “know thyself” for AI and HI are intimately linked” (Dhaoudi, 466). It is found that HI is unique based on it being the divine creation of God and its ability to perceive culture and God. Through this understanding we find that humans do not have the ability to play God through technologies like AI although they desire to do so, which may be disapproved by God. We then must look at how more biological processes like cloning and genetic engineering are vastly different when it comes to humans playing god through technology. Where is the line where these technologies become unethical in the eyes of God? For the time being we will limit this conversation to AI as simply code and not involve things like transhumanism and technology with biological hardware, because it makes the conversation much more complex. Based on writings in the Quran we can discern how HI is unique, how AI and HI are vastly different, how AI can not reach the capabilities of the divine creation of God, and lastly how technologies where humans create biological forms of God’s creations are worse in the eyes of God than AI.

When making the distinction between AI and HI there is still much discussion on what is the essence of the human mind and what makes it unique among other species on earth and within the universe. Once we answer this question it is pertinent to ask if humans not only have the capabilities to manufacture this intelligence but if God would see these advancements as ethical. Mujeeb Khan speaks about this in his talk at The Cambridge Muslim College, he states we as a society have a misunderstanding that AI beings have the ability to think for themselves or be sentient, similarly to how humans thinks, are able to perceive and feel things. This is similarly linked to the conundrum that people think that this AI can be “transformed”, but how does the human transform? Both of these questions can be answered by looking at how these two types of intelligence learn, transform, and grow. Khan explains that humans transform through cognitive experiences, having to do with our understanding of the world. AI rather is not known to think on its own but does think at a more elevated level, this just meaning logical processes through logical circuits, all while gaining greater code. This is articulated through the difference between superficial change versus functional change, just because something looks more complicated does not mean that it is more advanced. In sum, AI is simply code that becomes more code and involves machine learning which is learning through knowledge. While HI involves souls that are growing which involves human learning which is knowledge through learning (Khan).

Now that the difference between AI and HI is clear, it is important to understand what makes HI unique. Dhaouadi argues that what makes humans unique within the world is our ability to value and create culture and cultural systems. Within these cultural systems we create a hospitable environment to understand the metaphysical world, god, and religion, all of these which other species and intelligences can not. He concisely states this thesis when he says, “the gap between human and artificial intelligence is bound to remain considerable… Humanity’s ability to manipulate cultural symbols, upon which the phenomenon of human intelligence depends, is a uniquely human characteristic. And this uniqueness, according to the Qur’an, is the direct result of a divine decision, not of evolution” (Dhaoudi, 465). He goes on to state that according to the Qur’an, HI and all of its uniqueness is due to a divine power. Due to the inaccessibility of this divinity, how would we be able to include the mysteries of this power in AI? (Dhaoudi, 465) Similar to this point, it is made clear within the Qur’an and Islam that only God has the divine ability to make HI, this meaning that machines can never reach the intelligence of humans because of the divine power within them, similar to the fact that humans can never reach the divine knowledge of God. This then raises the question of what God would think of humans attempting to recreate the divine intelligence he made in HI. Perhaps God would be fine with AI but not comfortable with humans attempting to elevate this intelligence to his divine creation.

  There are many stories within the Qur’an that make reference to the way in which HI is distinctly unique and illogical, which is opposed to AI which is distinctly logical, following a course of action that makes sense based on code. Mujeeb Khan makes reference to this topic with the story of Iblîs. Iblîs was told he had to prostrate to the angel Adam, this was an order. He did not follow this order. During this time other angels were questioning whether they should prostrate to Adam, they did not think he was that great but they still followed the order. The question is why was Iblîs different, why did he not follow the order? It was not that Iblîs rejected belief in God it was that he rejected belief that Adam was better than him. Iblîs was exemplar of what not to do, he was not following the knowledge he had, this is relevant because this is how humans operate. AI would never say no like Iblîs because it is not the rational or right thing to do. Humans on the other hand are constantly doing things we shouldn’t or going out of our way to do things that are nice. These machines are simply following a course of action that is obvious and makes sense based on code, they do not have the ability to be sentient (Khan).

Within this conversation of humans playing God through technology, there is a vast difference between code like forms of AI and human biological forms of technology like cloning and genetic engineering. These technological creations are in the same physical form of humans as God created. In verse 30:30 the Qu’ran states, “There is no change to the creation of God" this should be taken as a warning. This is obviously a very broad statement but could be used to argue against changing the genetic makeup of humans through genetic engineering or tampering with the reproductive process of humans through sciences like cloning. Although this verse warns against sciences like genetic engineering and cloning you then have to question if God would be okay with these sciences if they are used to drastically improve or save lives. Science and medicine have been used to improve human lives since the beginning of time so it would take much more investigation to determine if God would be comfortable with sciences similar to these, used for life saving purposes. Although it is safe to say that God would be uncomfortable with sciences that are purely for human enjoyment or immortality such as uploading human consciousness and transhumanism. 

When we consider these technologies it is important to back up and consider God’s perceptions of technological advances in general. As stated, humans have been making technological advances since the beginning of time, what makes this a blurry ethical situation and where would God draw the ethical line? The Qur’an stresses on ethics and how most technology used to play God has some unethical origins story. The Qur'an also asks people to rely on God when they're making technology. This can be interpreted to say that technology made without "God reliance" is dangerous. The difficulty now is to discern how God would define technologies created with “God reliance” and what would be considered ethical by God.

Within this conversation it is important to first understand how HI is unique in the universe in the eyes of God and the Qur’an then it is vital to make the distinction between AI and HI. Based on the writings of the Qur’an it is argued that AI can not reach the capability and divine nature of HI, but God would not approve of humans trying to replicate his divine creation through technology. On the other hand different versions of humans playing God through creating the biological form of humans would, it seems, would be disproved by God. Within this ever changing landscape of humans playing God via technology it is extremely difficult to discern what God would approve and disapprove of and on what grounds. Based on writings in the Qur’an we can understand how AI and HI are vastly different, how AI can not reach the capabilities of the divine creation of God which is HI. On these grounds it is believed that God would not oppose these advances, but there are many grey areas in the ethicacy of technologies where humans are hoping to recreate the divine creation of HI through biological means.

Chaudhary, Yaqub. “AI & Religion .” YouTube, YouTube, 25 Aug. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4xxNYJD-84.

Dhaouadi, Mahmoud. “An Exploration into the Nature of the Making of Human and Artificial Intelligence and the Qur'anic Perspective.” American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, Jan. 1992, pp. 465–481.

Khan, Mujeeb. “Knowledge & Fact: Artificial Intelligence & Human Cognition in the Islamic Tradition.” YouTube, YouTube, 10 Feb. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TFO90KtMJg.

Nasr, Seyyed Hossein, and Muzaffar Iqbal. Islam, Science, Muslims and Technology. Suahil Academy, 2011.