The speakers included Prof. Dr. H. Robby Habiba Abror, M.Hum. (Professor of Religious and Cultural Studies and Dean of the Faculty of Ushuluddin and Islamic Thought (FUPI) at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta), Prof. Mukhtasyar Syamsuddin, Ph.D. of Arts (Professor of Philosophy at UGM), and Dr. Saidin Ernas, M.Si. (Vice Rector 2 of IAIN Ambon).
Full support came from the Dean of FUD IAIN Ambon, Dr. Ismail Tuanany. He expressed his delight at the presence of these scholars. “We fully support this event. We hope this seminar can provide enlightenment and insightful views on the human problems we face today,” said Dr. Ismail.
The Head of the AFI Study Program at FUD IAIN Ambon, Nurfajriyani, M.Hum., stated that the webinar was held to present solution-oriented ideas. “We strive to bring perspectives from experts in philosophy, religion, and culture to answer various life challenges in this increasingly pervasive era of Artificial Intelligence (AI),” she said.
In his presentation, Prof. Robby shared several sharp philosophical reflections regarding the relationship between humans and Imitation Intelligence (AI). According to him, public understanding of AI risks is often misguided. The Dean of FUPI UIN Sunan Kalijaga emphasized that AI solves problems in a way that is “alien” to humans. “This is not human intelligence. AI is like an alien; it is a stranger we do not know that suddenly enters our lives, and yet we become so close and familiar with it,” he said. He cited the example of AlphaGo’s victory over the world Go champion using a strategy never before conceived by humans. “We are creating something we do not fully understand, cannot be controlled, and will one day be beyond our management,” he added.
The Dean of FUPI UIN Sunan Kalijaga highlighted that the greatest risk is not an AI rebellion as seen in science fiction, but rather human over-compliance towards it, leading to extreme dependency.
“The greatest risk that needs to be scrutinized early on is that, on one hand, AI could rebel against its creator (humans) because it will become more sophisticated in the form of super-intelligent AI and act independently to read and make decisions. On the other hand, we as humans are too obedient to it, even highly dependent. We risk surrendering our essential capacities to design the future, careers, and religious matters to AI for the sake of convenience and quick solutions.” This shift, he continued, changes the human position from an agent or subject to an object managed by algorithms. Humans begin to think and act like machines, suddenly losing empathy and wanting to finish things quickly without bringing forth feeling or depth of meaning.
Prof. Robby reminded that “Imitation Intelligence (AI) should serve humans, not the other way around. Human autonomy and reason must be the leader. AI must enhance, not replace, our ability to make decisions and think critically,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the Vice Rector 2 of IAIN Ambon, Dr. Saidin Ernas, M.Si., who appeared as the second speaker, highlighted the social paradoxes arising from technological disruption.
He explained that technology has created an irony in human interaction. “Humans can interact across borders and continents in the same second, but are increasingly losing the ability to greet one another in real space,” he explained.
Dr. Saidin also highlighted the identity crisis faced by the younger generation. “Young people form their self-identity from social media algorithms, from face filters to likes and followers,” he said.
Furthermore, he questioned the shift in human existential meaning when AI begins to take over creative and emotional roles. “AI writes poetry, paints, and even predicts human emotions; while humans themselves lose their depth of existential meaning,” Dr. Saidin concluded.
Another keynote speaker, UGM Professor of Philosophy Prof. Dr. Mukhtasyar Syamsuddin, Ph.D. of Arts, offered a philosophical approach to dissecting human problems in the digital era. He presented “Phenomenology as a Method” to understand how humans experience their world.
Prof. Mukhtasyar explained that phenomenology is important for returning the focus to authentic human experience, which is fundamentally different from how AI works. Quoting Edmund Husserl, he emphasized that human consciousness is always intentional, meaning it is always “about something.” This differs from AI, which processes data without possessing consciousness or intentionality. Referring to Martin Heidegger, he stated that religious experience is an authentic form of human “being-in-the-world.” He also highlighted Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s view that “the body is the center of spiritual experience.”
“This phenomenological approach confirms that essential aspects of humanity—such as consciousness, religious experience, and attachment to the body—are things that AI does not possess and cannot be replicated by algorithms,” concluded Prof. Mukhtasyar. (Munawar Ahmad)