Education minister stresses ethics, human values, and balance as AI enters classrooms

As artificial intelligence accelerates across classrooms worldwide, Indonesia is drawing a firm line between technological assistance and human responsibility in education.

AI as a Tool, Not a Teacher
Indonesia’s Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Abdul Mu’ ti emphasized that artificial intelligence will not replace teachers in the education process, stating that AI remains a limited technology. Speaking at a national seminar titled “AI and Improving the Quality of Education for All” at Yogyakarta State University on Saturday, he stressed that AI cannot solve or replace everything in learning environments.

Human Experience Cannot Be Replicated
While acknowledging AI’s ability to process data and deliver information rapidly, Abdul Mu’ ti highlighted its fundamental limitations. According to him, AI lacks lived experience, moral responsibility, and humanity, elements that define the teaching profession. Teachers, he said, do not merely transfer knowledge but actively experience and guide the learning journey alongside students.

Technology Without Agency
The minister explained that AI can provide suggestions, explanations, and insights, but it does not act or experience outcomes. Learning, he argued, is not solely about information delivery but about interaction, reflection, and personal growth, all of which remain human-centered processes.

Human Control and Critical Thinking
Abdul Mu’ ti stressed that control over AI usage remains firmly in human hands. He warned that without critical thinking, users risk being misled by inaccurate or incomplete information. Since AI systems rely on uploaded data, flawed inputs can produce flawed outputs, reinforcing the need for careful oversight by educators and institutions.

Ethics in the Digital Space
Ethical responsibility was a central theme of the minister’s remarks. He underscored the importance of ethics in AI use, particularly in education, where values, integrity, and accountability must guide digital adoption. AI, he noted, reflects the quality of its sources and cannot independently verify moral correctness.

AI Education Starts Early
On policy direction, Abdul Mu’ ti revealed that AI and coding education has been introduced as an elective subject starting in fifth grade at the elementary level. The rollout is being conducted gradually, factoring in teacher readiness and institutional capacity to ensure effective and responsible implementation.

Preserving the Human Dimension
Amid rapid technological development, the minister concluded that education systems must maintain balance. Teachers must remain central figures in guiding students, shaping character, and instilling values. Human assets and the human dimension, he said, must never be detached from the conversation around AI in education.

Indonesia’s stance reflects a broader regional concern about integrating artificial intelligence without compromising human values. As digital tools expand across Southeast Asia, the emphasis on ethical use and teacher-led learning sends a clear signal to policymakers, educators, and families in Indonesia and Singapore that technology should support, not redefine, education’s human core.

Sources: EN Antara (2026) , Website Polri (2026)

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Teachers Role, Education Technology, AI Ethics, Indonesia Schools