Reflecting on Santri Day 2026: As Artificial Intelligence Dominates Technology, How Will the Santri–Kiai Relationship Change?

JAKARTA – Artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to become a new companion in the learning process for santri.

Using their mobile phones, they can look for academic references, translate Arabic, summarise reading material and explore questions of Islamic jurisprudence that they have traditionally studied through classical texts.

The technology offers a convenience that is hard to ignore. Whereas santri once had to consult dictionaries, compare texts or wait for an opportunity to ask an ustaz, they can now obtain an initial explanation in seconds.

But this convenience raises a fundamental question: as machines become increasingly capable of providing answers, are kiai and ustaz still needed?

KH Nur Salikin, chair of the Indonesian Ma’had Aly Association (AMALI), said the use of AI in pesantren was a normal development. Access to the technology is becoming easier, including for mahasantri pursuing higher education at Ma’had Aly.

“I think they are already using it, particularly santri in higher-level pesantren education such as Ma’had Aly. Not everyone, of course. But AI is now very easy to access – all you need is a mobile phone,” Kiai Salikin told Republika.co.id on Wednesday (21 October 2026).

The cleric said AI could help santri understand difficult terms, translate Arabic, summarise reading material, find references and map out issues they intend to research.

In the study of Islamic jurisprudence, for instance, AI can be used to identify terminology and find preliminary reading materials before santri examine the issue in depth through authoritative texts.

However, obtaining an answer quickly does not necessarily mean that someone understands the issue in its entirety.

In the pesantren scholarly tradition, santri are expected not only to know a particular opinion, but also to understand its sources and arguments, as well as the methods scholars used to reach their conclusions.

“We cannot reject technology. But getting an answer quickly does not necessarily mean you understand it,” said Kiai Salikin, who is also director of Ma’had Aly Jakarta.