Artificial Intelligence in Qur’anic Studies: Opportunities and Ethical Challenges of AI-Based Tafsir

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping contemporary religious scholarship, particularly in Qur’anic studies. With tools such as semantic search, natural language processing, and deep learning models, AI offers new pathways for exploring, understanding, and teaching the Qur’an. These innovations promise enhanced accessibility, user engagement, and analytical capabilities that were previously beyond reach for scholars and students alike. This article examines both the opportunities and ethical dilemmas associated with AI-based tafsir. It investigates how AI systems influence epistemological structures in Qur’anic interpretation and considers the risks of decontextualization, theological oversimplification, and algorithmic bias. Using a qualitative methodology based on textual and comparative analysis, the study explores a range of AI-powered tafsir platforms, scholarly responses to AI’s role in hermeneutics, and classical Islamic frameworks of ethical knowledge. Findings highlight the necessity of theological oversight and the dangers of over-reliance on machine logic for interpreting divine revelation. Ultimately, the paper proposes an Islamic ethics-based model for integrating AI in tafsir. It calls for collaborative efforts between scholars, developers, and religious institutions to ensure that AI serves as a tool that augments—rather than undermines—the spiritual and intellectual integrity of Qur’anic interpretation.