The Influence of AI in Shaping Public Understanding of Salafi Creed

This extended abstract explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) influences the public's understanding of the Salafi creed in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The Salafi creed, rooted in the methodology of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama‘ah, emphasizes strict adherence to the Qur'an, Sunnah, and the understanding of the early generations of Muslims. The integration of AI in religious education-through chatbots, automated da'wah platforms, and Islamic Q&A systems-presents both opportunities and challenges. While AI enhances accessibility, personalizes learning, and broadens da'wah outreach, it also raises concerns about content authenticity, theological accuracy, and the potential misinterpretation of creed-related teachings. This study adopts a qualitative library-based approach to evaluate relevant academic works on AI and Islamic theology, focusing on opportunities, risks, and governance mechanisms. The findings suggest that AI can be a beneficial tool in disseminating Salafi teachings when guided by scholarly oversight, Shariah-compliant datasets, and digital literacy among users. The paper concludes with recommendations for policy development, ethical frameworks, and scholarly collaboration to ensure AI serves as a means to strengthen-not distort-orthodox Islamic beliefs.