Many Jobs Replaced by Robots, Gibran Reminds of the Importance of Learning AI and Coding

Vice President Gibran Rakabuming emphasised the importance of studying artificial intelligence (AI) and coding. This statement was made by Gibran during a dialogue with students at the Pondok Tremas Islamic Boarding School on Jalan Tj II, Tremas, Arjosari, Pacitan, East Java, on Thursday (30/4/2026), who were concerned that many jobs are now being replaced by robots and artificial intelligence or AI. “Many jobs are being replaced by AI, people are losing their jobs, like in factories being replaced by robots,” said one of the students, quoted from a statement by the Vice Presidential Secretariat. In response, Vice President Gibran asserted that humans remain irreplaceable as they hold the primary role behind the technology. According to Gibran, the key to facing change is readiness to continuously learn and adapt. Therefore, everyone must keep improving their quality. “I am confident that in the future they can be useful, especially when they enter the workforce, and this is what is called technological disruption which we can no longer control. That’s why we must always upgrade ourselves,” he concluded. Gibran reminded that learning robotics, AI, and coding is very important. Those skills also sharpen the students’ critical thinking and computational thinking so that they do not only become users, but also creators of technology. “Because it is very important in the future to face the challenges of the all-digital era. All of this must be learned and the students must not be left behind,” Gibran stated. During this visit, Gibran also conducted a silaturahmi with the kyai and students, and directly monitored the implementation of AI and robotics training for the students. It is hoped that in the future, the students will not only excel in religious knowledge but also be adaptive and competitive in the global era. While at the Pondok Tremas Islamic Boarding School, Gibran was accompanied by the President’s Special Envoy for Youth Development and Arts Workers, Raffi Ahmad, East Java Deputy Governor Emil Dardak, and Pacitan Deputy Regent Gagarin Sumrambah.