Gibran on AI: Master the Technology, Uphold the Ethics
Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has spoken about the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Indonesia, its ethics, and the government’s readiness to build its ecosystem. He stated that AI is not the future, but the present. Gibran said a transformation is currently underway from traditional literacy to digital literacy, with AI at the peak of this shift. He urged the public not to be mere spectators, but to become players and masters of AI. “We can no longer turn a blind eye or just be spectators. We must become players, we must become masters of this technology,” Gibran said in a video uploaded to TikTok on Tuesday (16/6).
Students were asked to understand that AI is not a tool that makes one lazy, but a tool for acceleration. AI can be used to assist learning, search for data, learn foreign languages, and understand mathematical formulas in a simpler way. Gibran said AI should be used to spark creativity, not to replace thinking ability. In the hands of those who master technology, the Golden Indonesia 2045 vision is no longer just a dream but a certainty.
The eldest son of Indonesia’s seventh president, Joko Widodo, also invited teachers and parents to become AI-literate. Teachers who master AI are said to possess a ‘superpower’ to educate more effectively. AI can assist with teachers’ administrative tasks, such as creating questions and presenting simpler explanations that appeal to students. “As well as providing case examples that make it easier for students to absorb learning materials. So that you, teachers, have more time to touch the humanistic side and character of our students,” he said. Gibran advised parents to accompany their children, ensuring that children do not fly high with technology while parents are left behind, unaware of what they are accessing.
Regarding ethics, Gibran stressed that this aspect is far more important than the technical mastery of AI. “Technology without ethics is dangerous. AI can be used to create positive content, but it can also be used to spread hoaxes, commit plagiarism, or violate other people’s privacy,” he said. “I want to remind you that the use of AI must be based on the values of integrity. Do not use AI to deceive, do not use AI to bring others down. AI must be used for the common welfare, to make life easier, not to create social chaos,” said Gibran, who was seen holding and stroking a cat throughout the video. Technological progress, he said, must go hand in hand with the moral progress of society as a civilised nation.
The Indonesian government has successfully completed the Readiness Assessment Methodology for AI compiled by UNESCO. Gibran explained that this serves as a diagnostic tool to assess Indonesia’s future AI readiness and governance in accordance with ethical guidelines. “The government’s task is to prepare the ecosystem, and our collective task is to prepare our individual capacities,” he said. “Master the technology, uphold the ethics. Let us make AI a bridge towards a more advanced, smarter, and more dignified Indonesia.”