Between Code and Creed: Islamic Ethical In-Betweenness on AI in Indonesia

Abstract

Indonesian Muslims are carving out an ethical in-betweenness in debates on artificial intelligence (AI)—a dynamic space between technocratic secularism, religious reasoning, and nationalist aspirations. Based on 14 months of ethnographic fieldwork, my study highlights three arenas: neutrality in AI education, theological boundaries, and national progress. Educators often bracket religion from technical training, while religious leaders caution against attributing spirit or niyyah (ethical intention) to machines, advocating wasatiyyah (moderation) rather than rejection. Students, meanwhile, frame AI as both a tool for “Golden Indonesia 2045” and a site where Qurʾanic ethics can guide design. Building on Raquib’s (2022) call to embed Islamic objectives and Singler’s (2024) typology of rejection–adoption–adaptation, the study shows how Indonesians negotiate tensions without collapsing them into one frame. Here, ethics emerges not as a clash between code and creed but as a conversation—offering globally relevant insights for inclusive, context-sensitive AI governance.