Nurul Izzah Anwar has warned that companies controlling the algorithms shaping people’s lives lack an ethical foundation.
“It’s bad enough that it’s governed by algorithms and not the word of God. The problem is, the companies that own these algorithms have no ethical basis whatsoever,” she said.
Nurul Izzah, executive chairman of the Suluh Centre and PKR deputy president, was speaking at the opening of the third Southeast Asia Dialogue Cities Conference here.
Also present were KAICIID International Dialogue Centre senior project manager Mitra Modaressi, Allied Coordinating Council of Islamic NGOs Malaysia (ACCIN) chief executive officer Ir Mohd Jamaludin Shamsudin and Universiti Antarabangsa MAIWP (UniMAIWP) vice-chancellor Professor Dr Mohd Afandi Salleh.
Nurul Izzah described the impact of algorithms on the mind as one of the biggest “fitnah” (trials or tribulations) facing the current generation, adding that it affected everyone, not just Muslims.
The three-day conference, organised by KAICIID and ACCIN, carries the theme “Shared Futures: Dialogue for Resilient and Inclusive Cities”.
More than 65 participants from Bangkok, Davao, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Yogyakarta are attending, including religious, youth and women leaders, as well as civil society representatives.
Modaressi said people in the region spent about 11 hours a day on their digital devices, leaving them increasingly isolated.
She said urbanisation in Southeast Asia was growing at 2.2 per cent a year, twice the rate of population growth, as millions moved to cities in search of better lives.
“True dialogue is the simple, radical act of reaching across the aisle. It is a bridge built between the wisdom of our elders and the fire of our youth,” she said.
At a press conference later, Modaressi said KAICIID would introduce a grant scheme next year to fund initiatives arising from the conference.
Proposals would need to bridge faiths, generations or cities, she said, adding that more than seven initiatives had emerged from the previous conference in Davao.
Nurul Izzah said the Suluh Centre’s next project would be a survey of young people living in low-income housing to understand how they cope with artificial intelligence (AI).
The project follows the centre’s nationwide training programme on financial and medical literacy for women.
Following previous editions in Bangkok in 2023 and Davao in 2024, the conference will conclude on Oct 28, with participants taking joint proposals back to their respective cities.
