Stella Christie: Indonesia Ranks First in AI Usage for Education
The Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Stella Christie, has revealed that Indonesia holds the top rank in the utilisation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for education.
Citing Statista Consumer Insights, which provides rankings on AI usage in education, Stella noted that Indonesia currently holds the number one position globally in this category.
Despite this top ranking, Stella offered specific caveats regarding the use of AI in the educational sphere.
‘As a cognitive scientist, I can say that evidence and data show that using AI in lessons and education can decrease [cognitive] abilities,’ Stella stated while speaking at the High Level Talk FEKDI - IFSE in JICC, Jakarta, on Friday (25/09/2026).
In her view, the ideal condition for AI utilisation in education must include strict boundaries, regulated in such a way that the quality of students is maintained.
Furthermore, rather than being mere users of AI, Stella hopes that the quality of Indonesian human resources can evolve to become evaluators of AI. This means that humans must remain critical of existing AI technological developments and avoid becoming overly reliant on its outputs without scrutiny.
‘Therefore, what we must create is a proper incentive system. The only way we can remain capable of evaluating AI is if we can understand its thought processes,’ Stella emphasised.
According to Stella, the use of AI must be balanced with critical thinking so that the Indonesian education system can progress further. This vision is to be realised through educational investments that support critical thinking for both students and educators, alongside investments aimed at fostering technological innovation within the educational scope.
‘We must remember this, so that we do not make the mistake of investing in the wrong areas within our education,’ she added.
‘The ability to innovate, to evaluate AI, and to think critically is becoming even more important,’ she concluded.