DEPOK – Talking about Artificial Intelligence (AI) with all its capabilities, people tend to be polarized into two groups: those who are enthusiastic about the development of AI and those who are worried about the range of AI capabilities. Undeniably, AI has helped simplify, speed up, and complement human work. But at the same time, its ability to gather data from a variety of sources often puts it in conflict with ethical aspects. The discussion on FESKOM UI 2023 organized by the UI Communication Science Graduate Student Association on Saturday, November 25, outlined this dilemma. By inviting various speakers from renowned institutions, the talk show sought to explore the ethical use of AI in each institution.
One of the speakers was Erwin Haryono, Head of the Communication Department of Bank Indonesia. Erwin explained that the use of AI and digital technology helped Bank Indonesia to gather public impressions of the crisis. It is stated that if there is a fear of crisis in the community, it will be followed by community behaviors that can actually trigger a crisis to actually occur. Erwin is concerned that the public may not accept the growing technological disruption well and believes that this could threaten the stability of financial communications. It was in this situation that the Communication Department of Bank Indonesia took on the role through its various communication channels to inform the stability of the situation to prevent public panic. Although currently Bank Indonesia has not fully implemented the use of AI, it is currently developing one of the digital technologies in the financial sector, namely the QR Code Indonesia Standard (QRIS). Aiming to support the digital financial integration economy in Indonesia, QRIS was developed to support financial digitalization by utilizing digital technology and data in financial business processes.
Fadjar Djoko Santoso, VP Corporate Communication of PT. Pertamina (Persero) also explained the application of digital technology in Pertamina in the form of Pertamina Integrated Command Center (PICC). PICC is an information center that assists Pertamina in monitoring the company’s operational activities, both core, critical and supporting processes. In addition, PICC acts as a single source of truth for Pertamina Group’s internal environment in the form of integrated data. Not only that, PICC can also analyze data into information, detect data, anomalies, test data reliability and compile executive summaries and recommendations needed in the decision-making process. However, it is emphasized that human resources still play an important role in decision-making. The technology, in this case the PICC, only serves to collect data, map patterns and provide recommendations. Especially in regions in Indonesia and communities that are not yet technologically literate, human assistance is still needed to facilitate all operational processes.
Meanwhile, as a biller aggregator provider company, PT Jatelindo Perkasa Abadi, represented by Fathur Dion, said that Indonesia must be prepared to create reliable technology developers to overcome challenges in the rapid advancement of technology and AI. One of the projects that successfully changed people’s habits in the transportation communication sector developed by Jatelindo and the government was the JakLingko program in Jakarta. Fathur said the readiness of society in the digital era is not only from the technology, but also from people who are willing to adapt.
Completing the day’s discussion, Karen Kusnadi, Communication Lead of Microsoft Indonesia, provided a perspective from Microsoft as an AI provider. Karen said that Microsoft positions AI as a co-pilot. Although artificial intelligence continues to evolve, at the end of the day, humans are still actors with contextual intelligence, sensitivity to social situations and ethics, so humans are still the pilots who decide what content is worth producing. That’s why Bing, Microsoft’s search engine, always includes a footnote in every search result to emphasize that the wisdom of choice and decision is still left to humans as pilots. AI as a co-pilot only collects data which is then compiled into various forms of recommendations.
From the academic side, Dr. Irwansyah S.Sos., M. A., gave his views on the tendency of people to be a priori towards the development of AI. Irwansyah stated that the use of AI actually opens up opportunities for marginalized groups to speak out and take a role in society. Concerns about marginalized groups actually make them never get a chance. Irwansyah appealed that humans are much smarter than technology, so humans should not be afraid of digitalization or AI development. Quoting from one of the psychology journals, Irwansyah revealed that only 3% of the human brain is currently used, meaning that there is still 97% of human brain capacity that has not been developed. Therefore, humans should be superior to technology. “Technology and AI are human creations, the ones who have control are also humans, so why should we be afraid if we haven’t tried it first? As a communication person, this AI actually helps us in delivering messages through a medium that is more advance,” said Irwansyah in the middle of the discussion.
The discussion, hosted by Fira Abdurachman, was then closed with a conclusion that pointed to the need for openness to the development of AI technology that is still harmonized with human rational and emotional. After the discussion ended, the event then continued with an entertainment session filled by Ramond & Friends, standup comedian SemakindiDevan, and musical performances from internal bands. FESKOM UI 2023 was attended by participants with various backgrounds including students both from Communication Science majors and from other majors, academics, business practitioners, journalists, and various communities. The success of the event is inseparable from the supporting role of Bank Indonesia, and the sponsors, namely PT. Pertamina (Persero), PT. Pertamina Patra Niaga, PT. Bank Mandiri Tbk, PT. Askrindo Financing Guarantee, J99 Corp, MS Glow Beauty, PT. Garudafood Putra Putri Jaya Tbk, Y&Co, Snuff, and Tomoro Coffee. This event can also be well disseminated through media partners namely Urbanasia, The Conversation Indonesia, TV UI, Radio Telekomunikasi Cipta UI, Kuyou. Id, Correcto. Id, and The Equatorial. (DLN)
