KUALA LUMPUR: Islamic scholars have a responsibility to ensure that the latest technologies are guided by wisdom and moral values, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Deputy Prime Minister said algorithms that are not grounded in ethical principles could silently shape young minds, putting moral values at risk.
“We now live in an abundance of information but often suffer from a poverty of wisdom.
“Data is increasing, yet wisdom is becoming more distant.
“This is where scholars play a vital role in transforming information into understanding, understanding into wisdom and wisdom into action,” he said in his speech at the Fourth Edition Southeast Asian Scholars Conference 2026 yesterday.
He noted that data without ethics can violate human dignity, while algorithms without wisdom can silently shape society’s thinking.
Ahmad Zahid cautioned that technological advancement and system efficiency “are not everything”.
“The success of an innovation must also be measured by its ability to protect religion, life, intellect, lineage and property.
“That is why Muslims cannot merely be users of technologies developed by others.
“We must also be thinkers, creators and drivers of its direction,” he added.
He said the nation’s moderate Islamic tradition, culture of courtesy and societal diversity can serve as an ethical model for technology, one that embraces progress without eroding the values and identity of the ummah.
“Malaysia is moving in this direction.
“Our young people are not only memorising the Quran but are also excelling in medicine, engineering, technology, management, finance and leadership,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid also said that religious scholars have a duty to advance an agenda of “intellectual diplomacy” in addressing issues faced by Muslim communities.
“It is a form of diplomacy that does not merely speak in theory but dares to help solve the problems of the ummah.
“I believe South-East Asia can offer a model of Islam that is knowledgeable, civilised and relevant to the challenges of the age, one that is neither extreme nor detached from reality but embraces progress,” he added.
Without the intervention of true knowledge, he said, the minds of the present generation would continue to be shaped by information without wisdom.
This would result in the erosion of character, a culture without boundaries, and a society led by emotion rather than sound judgement, he said.
