The virtue of artificiality: Islamic ethics and the reconceptualization of AI caregivers
摘要
The artificiality of AI, while often problematic in Western ethical frameworks, uniquely aligns with Islamic ethics. Where standard criticisms of carebots emphasize dignity, deception, and simulated care, I demonstrate that their artificial nature positions them as 'neutragents' (neutral agents) within Islamic care ethics. Through their neutragential status, carebots transcend the traditional mahram/non-mahram (permissible/non-permissible caretakers) dichotomy while protecting awrah (bodily privacy). However, this advantage can be compromised if Muslim users' image and video data are exposed to human labelers during AI training, as such exposure would undermine the neutragential status. This analysis reveals important implications, such as the necessity of intercultural value alignment in AI ethics. As AI's global impact grows, integrating diverse ethical perspectives becomes essential, yet current approaches to AI ethics and value alignment have been slow to incorporate non-standard perspectives meaningfully.