Shifting Religious Authority in the AI Era:
A Comparative Study of Gen Z Trust in AI Guidance and Traditional Ulama
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.38073/wasilatuna.v9i1.3973Keywords:
Artificial Intelligence, Digital Fatwa, Sanad Crisis, Gen Z, Islamic AuthorityAbstract
The rapid proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has fundamentally disrupted the landscape of Islamic communication, introducing chatbots as novel sources of religious information that challenge the traditional authority of Ulama. This study aims to analyze the shift in religious authority among Generation Z by examining the reliability of AI-generated fatwas versus traditional Islamic scholarship. Employing a qualitative virtual ethnography method, data were collected through digital observation of AI interactions and critical analysis of a sermon by Habib Abdurrahman Assegaf regarding AI errors in religious interpretation. The results demonstrate significant “algorithmic hallucination” in religious texts. Specifically, AI failed to interpret the theological context of Sahih Bukhari regarding “Al-Madinatu Tanfi Al-Khabats,” providing a literal, erroneous translation that strips away spiritual meaning. While Gen Z utilizes AI for privacy and speed, this finding proves that AI lacks scientific lineage (sanad) and spiritual taste (dzauq). The implications of this study highlight the urgency of digital literacy to prevent the trivialization of sacred texts. In conclusion, while AI functions as an efficient data aggregator, it cannot replace the authoritative role of Ulama, as authentic religious understanding requires human mentorship through talaqqi to ensure validity and contextual accuracy.
Downloads
References
Amankwah-Amoah, Joseph, Samar Abdalla, Emmanuel Mogaji, Amany Elbanna, and Yogesh K. Dwivedi. 2024. “The Impending Disruption of Creative Industries by Generative AI: Opportunities, Challenges, and Research Agenda.” International Journal of Information Management 79:102759.
Assegaf, A. M. 2025. “Haul Pondok Gilang: Kritik Terhadap Penggunaan AI Dalam Agama.” YouTube.
Blau, Peter M. 1963. “Critical Remarks on Weber’s Theory of Authority.” American Political Science Review 57(2):305–16.
Bunt, Gary R. 2018. Hashtag Islam: How Cyber-Islamic Environments Are Transforming Religious Authority. UNC Press Books.
Campbell, Heidi A., and Giulia Evolvi. 2020. “Contextualizing Current Digital Religion Research on Emerging Technologies.” Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies 2(1):5–17. doi:10.1002/hbe2.149.
Cheong, Pauline Hope. 2021. “Authority.” Pp. 87–102 in Digital religion: Understanding religious practice in new media worlds, edited by H. A. Campbell and R. Tsuria. Routledge.
Dorobantu, Marius. 2022. “Artificial Intelligence As A Testing Ground For Key Theological Questions.” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 57(4). doi:10.1111/zygo.12831.
El-Nawawy, Mohammed, and Sahar Khamis. 2020. Islam Dot Com: Contemporary Islamic Discourses in Cyberspace. Palgrave Macmillan.
Famuji, Untung, Nur Kholis, Abdul Basit, and Ahmed Abdul Malik. 2025. “‘“ Click , Share , Da ” Wah : Spiritual Revolution at Your Fingertips ’’.” 9(02):121–35.
Famuji, Untung, and Khusnul Khotimah. 2025. “Optimalisasi Feed Instagram Sebagai Media Dakwah: Studi Kasus Akun@ Quranreview Dalam Meningkatkan Pemahaman Al-Qur’an Melalui Platform Broadcasting Digital.” An-Nida: Jurnal Komunikasi Islam 17(2):173–82.
Hashimov, Elmar. 2015. “Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook and The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers: Matthew B. Miles, A. Michael Huberman, and Johnny Saldaña. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2014. 381 Pp. Johnny Saldaña. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2013. 303 Pp.” Technical Communication Quarterly 24(1):109–12. doi:10.1080/10572252.2015.975966.
Liu, Zhi, Arsalan Mujahid Ghouri, Jing Wang, and Changqing Lin. 2025. “Digital Religion and Generation Z: An Empirical Study in the Context of China.” Frontiers in Psychology 16:1536644. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1536644/full.
Maulana, I., and A. K. Fata. 2025. “Ethics and Religious Authority in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” Jurnal Manajemen Dakwah 10(1):45–62.
Pabbajah, M. 2024. “Religious Transformation of Gen Z in the New Media Era.” Islamic Communication Journal 9(1):22–38.
Papakostas, Christos. 2025. “Artificial Intelligence in Religious Education: Ethical, Pedagogical, and Theological Perspectives.” Religions 16(5):563. https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/5/563.
Possamai, Adam, and Bryan S. Turner. 2020. “Authority and the Law in the Digitalization of Shari’a.” Journal of Sociology 58(1):1–17.
Qorib, Muhammad. 2025. “Socio-Cultural Transformation within Indonesian Academics: Cases in Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama Universities.” Asian Education and Development Studies.
Royhan, A., and R. Haqiqi. 2025. “Penggunaan ChatGPT Terhadap Fatwa Dan Penerapannya Dalam Hukum Syariat (Studi Tafsir QS. An-Nahl: 43).” AT-TAHBIR: Jurnal Studi Al-Qur’an Dan Tafsir 1(2):88–102.
Sahrul, M. 2025. “Pendidikan Agama Islam Di Era Algoritma: Kecerdasan Buatan, Otoritas, Dan Krisis Literasi.” Action Research Journal Indonesia 7(1):15–28.
Solahudin, D., and M. Fakhruroji. 2020. “Internet and Islamic Learning Practices in Indonesia: Social Media, Religious Authority, and Digital Piety.” Religions 11(1):1–16. doi:10.3390/rel11010019.
Szymkowiak, Andrzej, Boban Melović, Marina Dabić, Kishokanth Jeganathan, and Gagandeep Singh Kundi. 2021. “Information Technology and Gen Z: The Role of Teachers, the Internet, and Technology in the Education of Young People.” Technology in Society 65:101565.
Tarwiyyah, H. L. 2025. “Kiai-AI: Renegotiating Religious Authority in the Digital Age.” Journal of Islamic Thought and Philosophy 4(1):106–26. doi:10.15642/jitp.2025.4.1.106-126.
Wahyudi, A. 2022. “The Challenges of Virtual Fatwa: Authority and Validity in the Digital Era.” Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies 12(2):221–45.
Zaluchu, Sonny Eli. 2024. “Digital Religion, Modern Society and the Construction of Digital Theology.” Transformation: An International Journal of Holistic Mission Studies 41(4):285–95. doi:10.1177/02653788231223929.
Zein, L. 2021. “Authority in Digital Islam: Questions of Authenticity and Verification.” CyberOrient 15(1):34–58.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Untung Famuji, Ahmed Abdul Malik, Siti Nuri Nurhaidah, Sofia Fahrany
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
