Zetrix AI Bhd has recently officially launched its NurAI large language model (LLM), and the company plans on selling the chatbot to financial institutions and government institutions as the next step. At the moment, Zetrix is releasing the so-called world’s first shariah-aligned LLM as a business-to-consumer app in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.
According to a non-executive director of the company, Datuk Mohd Jimmy Wong Abdullah, the goal is to implement NurAI in the day-to-day operations of Islamic financial institutions and technology firms, halal certification bodies, as well as shariah authorities. He went on to note that the rollout of the chatbot is intended to be phased and progressive.
NurAI is the product of the ASEAN-China AI Lab, a government collaboration. Zetrix partnered with China’s DeepSeek to create the chatbot. Aside from that, a formal shariah supervisory board was enlisted to ensure NurAI complies with Islamic values. The model serves to offer Muslim communities an alternative to Western and Chinese AI models, as it is grounded in Islamic principles and the perspectives of the Global South.
Zetrix claims that NurAI can provide guidance on various subjects. This includes classical Islamic themes like history and Quranic studies, as well as contemporary concerns like healthcare and finance. As with any other AI app, NurAI will feature a free but limited version and paid subscriptions starting from RM20 per month.
Despite DeepSeek’s involvement in the creation of NurAI, Zetrix co-founder and head of AI development Datuk Fadzli Shah affirmed that there is little to no risk of state intervention from China or ASEAN. He also explained that NurAI remains an independent project rooted in its purpose as a shariah-aligned LLM. However, he also stated that the company welcomes partnerships with all states to help those who would benefit from a shariah-aligned LLM.
