Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and Microsoft Indonesia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, at the UGM Central Office. Both parties agreed to collaborate on the development and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education.
The MoU was signed by UGM Rector Professor Ova Emilia and Microsoft Indonesia President Director Dharma Simorangkir.
Rector Emilia stated that collaborating with Microsoft could unlock potential synergies that would benefit UGM’s tri-dharma activities (education, research, and community service).
She mentioned that the partnership between UGM and Microsoft has been ongoing for ten years, starting in 2014.
According to Rector Emilia, signing this MoU could allow UGM’s faculties, programs, and study centers to collaborate on various activities.
“For instance, UGM’s Directorate of Information Technology (DTI) has developed an AI chatbot that the academic community can use,” she said.
Dharma Simorangkir welcomed the opportunity for collaboration between UGM and Microsoft.
He described the partnership as timely, especially as we enter a new era of artificial intelligence (AI).
“Many opportunities arise with the presence of AI. We should not only use it but also contribute to creating AI with various benefits, such as addressing issues in the education sector,” said Simorangkir.
He also expressed Microsoft’s commitment to AI use, likening it to the roles of pilot and co-pilot.
In this analogy, humans act as pilots making decisions, while AI is the co-pilot assisting in completing tasks.
Simorangkir hopes that the collaboration with universities will capture the potential of AI.
“We hope this partnership will produce talents who understand and master AI development, bridging the gap between education and industry,” he added.
The session continued with a detailed presentation on the collaboration plans for the next three years.
Dr. Mardhani Riasetiawan, Head of the UGM Bureau of Digital Transformation, presented the use and development of AI at UGM in collaboration with Microsoft.
He mentioned that a UGM Center for AI will be established as an active community hub for artificial intelligence. Additionally, UGM and Microsoft are working on several projects.
“One of the initiatives being prepared is an AI research assistant in collaboration with Microsoft, which will assist the academic community in streamlining research processes,” Dr. Riasetiawan said.
Other prepared innovations include an AI chatbot to support services such as health consultations.
Dr. Riasetiawan suggested that this AI model might also be developed for other services, such as language literacy and medical sciences.
Arief Suseno, Education Lead at Microsoft Indonesia, added that the collaboration includes developing and applying AI across various disciplines, supported by the UGM AI Center.
According to Suseno, this development will involve responsible and ethical AI governance. Additionally, Microsoft is offering AI talent development for UGM’s academic community.
“We have provided an AI teaching curriculum for faculty to use in classrooms. We also offer free access to the Azure Open AI platform for students and faculty, including a $100 balance for additional resources beyond the 85 free courses available,” Suseno explained.
This collaboration is expected to enhance and expand the synergy between education and industry, contributing tangible outcomes for Indonesia and the global community.
Author: Lazuardi
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Photographer: Eko Paris
Post-editor: Lintang