Last month, Pope Leo XIV released his inaugural encyclical, "Magnifica Humanitas," addressing the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) for the 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide. The document discussed the potential threats AI poses to human identity and underscored the moral boundaries that should govern its development. Unlike the centralized authority of the papacy, which can provide such definitive guidance, the global Muslim population of approximately 2 billion lacks a comparable single voice to articulate a unified stance on emerging technologies like AI.

While Islam boasts a rich tradition of scholarship and numerous institutions, none currently hold the capacity to issue binding directives on AI similar to a papal encyclical. This absence has created a vacuum that the U.S. government has begun to fill, particularly through regulatory measures affecting AI’s infrastructure and hardware. The issue extends beyond geopolitics into cultural representation and technological fairness.

AI systems that shape how billions access information and communicate are predominantly trained on English-language datasets. Arabic, despite being the fifth most spoken language globally, is significantly underrepresented. Moreover, research highlights that Arabic-language content faces disproportionate moderation, with routine texts flagged as extremist or dangerous at rates unmatched in English. This disparity reveals that AI technologies often reflect specific worldviews embedded in their design, excluding meaningful participation from the Muslim world, which has long-established intellectual traditions.

The dominance of U.S.-based control over AI hardware further complicates matters. In June, the U.S. Department of Commerce closed a previously exploited loophole that allowed subsidiaries of Chinese firms operating outside mainland China to acquire cutting-edge AI chips from Nvidia and AMD. These included Nvidia’s Rubin and Blackwell chips and AMD’s M3150X, with industry analysts estimating that hundreds of thousands of such chips may have been distributed through the gap. The move reaffirmed the U.S. government’s asserted authority to regulate the flow of critical computing resources globally, irrespective of data center locations.

A tangible example of the intersection between sovereign aspirations and U.S. regulatory power emerges from Sarawak, a Malaysian state on Borneo. Sarawak has developed an ambitious initiative to power hyperscale data centers using renewable energy sources, notably hydropower and solar. Anchored in a locally formulated Digital Economy Blueprint and an established AI center, the project positions itself as a secure, environmentally responsible, and ethically managed computing hub for the region. This model reflects the broader desire within many Muslim communities for digital sovereignty—building homegrown infrastructure aligned with regional values and sustainability goals.

Nevertheless, Sarawak’s efforts also underscore inherent dependencies. Despite striving for self-determination, the region’s AI infrastructure relies heavily on hardware and platforms designed and governed by policies set predominantly in Washington. This dynamic highlights ongoing challenges for the Muslim world and others seeking to shape AI development on their own terms within the current global technological and regulatory landscape.