‘Virtual Ifta’, reportedly the world’s first Artificial Intelligence fatwa service, was launched in Dubai on Tuesday.

According to Gulf News, the service issues fatwas and has taken on the role of an Islamic scholar. The AI-powered Virtual Ifta can answer live questions through online chat.

At the moment, it is only able to answer around 205 questions related to prayer, the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department’s head of fatwa section, Tariq Al Emadi, told Gulf News.

The Virtual Ifta was launched at a three-day exhibition on Tuesday. Visitors can experience the service through a video played at the exhibition talking about the evolution of issuing fatwas, which started with face-to-face meetings, then continued with written texts or calls and has progressed to AI.

Initially in Arabic and English, the service will include WhatsApp and other languages in the future.

In the future, people will be able to hear audio replies from Virtual Ifta in addition to written responses, Al Emadi said. Users can frame their questions as they please, he added.

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