A Malaysian technology firm has unveiled an artificial intelligence chatbot designed specifically for Muslim communities, using technology developed with help from Chinese AI company DeepSeek.
Zetrix AI Bhd will launch its “NurAI” service in Malaysia on Tuesday, offering guidance in Malay, Indonesian, Arabic and English on topics ranging from dining and travel to legal and financial matters, all based on Sharia law. In the coming months, the chatbot will feature AI avatars of Islamic scholars to provide advice on lifestyle, health and finance.
NurAI is built on open-source technology from DeepSeek’s V3 model, using a “Mixture of Experts” architecture to speed up responses while reducing computing costs. A team of 10 DeepSeek researchers also worked with Zetrix to optimise the system’s memory use.
Fadzli Shah, Zetrix’s head of AI development, said the project aims to provide Muslim-majority nations with an alternative to Western and Chinese AI models. The launch begins with a free limited version and paid plans ranging from $5 to $50 per month. The company plans to expand the service to Middle Eastern and African markets, training local versions with country-specific data.
Zetrix is also working to integrate NurAI into Malaysia’s Sharia-based court system to automate administrative functions and is compiling training material from sources including ancient manuscripts.
Faith-focused AI tools already exist, but Zetrix says NurAI stands out for its large language model developed under the guidance of Islamic scholars from Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and other countries.
