Academics Emphasise AI Development Must Uphold Human Dignity
The Rector of Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia (Unika), Prof. Dr. dr. Yuda Turana, emphasised the importance of placing the development of artificial intelligence (AI) within a framework that continues to uphold human dignity.
He stated that technological progress must go hand in hand with the human ability to think critically and make wise decisions. “The impact of technology must return to one centre: human dignity. AI must make us more capable, not more dependent. Media must make us more enlightened, not more easily manipulated,” Yuda said in a statement in Jakarta on Saturday.
According to him, the development of AI cannot be viewed solely as technological progress, but also as a change that affects how humans acquire knowledge, communicate, work, and make choices.
The Vice Rector for Innovation, Research, Cooperation, and Alumni at Unika Atma Jaya, Prof. Rosdiana Sijabat, added that AI has evolved from being a mere tool to becoming part of a social logic that influences how humans work and interact with information.
According to Rosdiana, this change occurs through processes of datafication, algorithmic curation, generative production, and the adaptation of institutions to platform logic. In such conditions, AI does not only function to process information, but can also influence the information seen by users, shaping preferences and affecting choices and decisions.
“Mediation means AI helps us work. Mediatisation means we begin to work according to the logic of AI,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Chair of the Board of Professors at Unika Atma Jaya, Prof. Laura F. N. Sudarnoto, expressed that the development of AI needs to serve as a space for collective reflection for universities. She assessed that universities should not only produce graduates capable of using technology, but also have a responsibility to shape individuals who can utilise knowledge and technology critically, wisely, and responsibly.
“AI is not just a matter of technology, but its impact on human life, communication, ethics, society, and even humanity must also be considered,” she remarked.