ABOUT IASER

Enjoining good and preventing harm in the age of AI

Mission

Grounded in the Islamic tradition, IASER enjoins good applications of artificial intelligence and works to prevent harmful ones.

Vision

A world where the benefit of artificial intelligence to humanity is maximized and its harm is minimized.

The Islamic Alliance for Safe, Ethical, and Responsible AI (IASER) is an organization rooted in Islamic principles that enjoins beneficial applications of artificial intelligence and works to prevent harmful ones. Its work is an application of an old ethical duty, amr bil-ma’ruf wa nahy ‘an al-munkar (enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong), to the age of AI.

We believe AI is among the most consequential technologies humanity has ever developed, and that its impact on human dignity, justice, privacy, and life itself demands principled engagement. Islam offers a comprehensive moral framework for that engagement, expressed in five commitments: safe, ethical, responsible, active, and cooperative.

IASER works in five ways. We —

  • inform and educate, producing accessible material on Islam and AI;
  • build community, a home for the Muslims deeply involved in AI: researchers, engineers, ethicists, and policymakers;
  • guide Muslims seeking to use AI in a positive, principled way;
  • engage AI businesses, helping them understand the dimensions of Islam relevant to their products and to the Muslim communities they serve; and
  • advocate, speaking out for positive applications of AI and against harmful ones, making the Islamic ethical perspective heard where AI policy is shaped.

The organization is guided by a steering committee of Muslims with deep expertise in AI, policy, or ethics, with an Islamic Advisory Board helping ensure its actions and positions stay consistent with Islam’s teachings. Its broader community is open to all who share the mission, and IASER cooperates with everyone who seeks AI that serves humanity, while refusing to cooperate in what causes harm.

Who we are

IASER is run by a steering committee and guided by an Islamic Advisory Board.

Steering Committee

  • Dr. Mohammed Ansari

    A senior applied scientist at Amazon, with a PhD in Computer Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is deeply involved in ummatic tech and AI initiatives and overall literacy, and is a student of knowledge in the Alimiyyah program at Al-Salam Institute.

    LinkedIn ↗

  • Dr. Agnes Chong

    A non-profit leader and researcher in philanthropy and Muslim communities. A former Vice President of the American Muslim Community Foundation, she has led programs at CAIR and holds a doctorate from Stanford Law School.

    LinkedIn ↗

  • Bara Elhag

    An account executive and go-to-market consultant for high-growth B2B SaaS companies, with a background in management consulting at IQVIA. He has also produced a Cannes-nominated film and published poetry.

    LinkedIn ↗

  • Abdus-Sami Hoda

    An educator and consultant who brings together technology, leadership, and Islamic studies, having studied under 200+ teachers across four continents and earned 50+ post-graduate diplomas and ijāzāt. He is Head of Curriculum at Ummatics Institute, founder of Mubeen Institute, and an award-winning advisor to CTOs and CIOs.

    LinkedIn ↗

  • Dr. Waleed Kadous

    An AI engineer with 25+ years and 40+ patents. He founded Google’s Android location team (the “blue dot”), led machine learning at Uber, ran AI Engineering at Canva, and created Ansari and the “AI for Imams” course.

    LinkedIn ↗

  • Hassan Kazi

    A management consultant with experience at Deloitte and Accenture. He completed executive education at the Wharton School and the Saïd Business School at Oxford, focusing on finance, analytics, strategy, and AI. He currently serves as Director of the Centre for Islamic Knowledge and on the Board of Directors of Justice For All Canada.

    LinkedIn ↗

Islamic Advisory Board

  • Dr. Mohamed AbuTaleb

    VP of Research at the Yaqeen Institute and adjunct faculty at Boston Islamic Seminary. He previously served for eight years as imam and resident scholar of the Islamic Association of Raleigh, and holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from MIT and an Alimiyyah (license in Islamic scholarship) from Al-Salam Institute.

    Profile ↗

  • Shaykh Umer Khan

    A traditionally trained mufti and a senior technology executive. He holds an Alimiyyah (license in Islamic scholarship) from Al-Salam Institute and an Ifta (authorization to issue Islamic legal rulings) from Darulifta Birmingham, teaches the Islamic sciences at the Institute of Knowledge and Al-Salam Institute, and is an executive member of the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA). He is also Chief Information Officer and SVP of Software Engineering at Relativity Space, and was previously Vice President of Information Technology and Security at SpaceX.

    Website ↗

Share the mission?

IASER is open to everyone who shares the mission. Become a member and help build the work, or subscribe to stay informed as it unfolds.

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