AI-ification of the Qur’an: KuranGPT, or Translatability in an Age of LLMs

Many Muslims have recently embarked on the exploration and experimentation with LLMs (Large Language Models) on religious texts. Some are developing their own AI chatbots based on the Qur'an. As these AI models are designed to respond to queries about Islam, AI enthusiasts coalesce their belief in the "transparency" of the Qur’an with their belief in the "transparency" of algorithms. Examining the design and perception of Qur’an-focused AI chatbots, this paper explores the cultural logic of un/translatability of the Qur’an in the age of LLMs: What does AI-ification do to the Qur’an and its un/translatability? In what ways do the ideas of transparency, explainability, and interpretability traffic between AI and the Qur’an? If LLMs’ "understanding" of language is not just statistical but also dependent on probabilistic reasoning, what happens to the theology of the Qur’an’s language? Can AI bring forth a new conception of the Qur’an’s miraculousness (ijaz)?