Several universities are welcoming students from various backgrounds to study artificial intelligence through cross-study programs.
By
MEDIANA/ANDREAS MARYOTO
·5 minutes read
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Higher education institutions are improving the development of artificial intelligence technology in the midst of talent scarcity. Several universities are welcoming students from various backgrounds to study artificial intelligence through cross-study programs.
Those at the higher education institutions who were contacted last week said they were trying to increase the number and capacity of students and graduates in technology development, especially artificial intelligence (AI), as changes were made to the curriculum and as research and partnerships widened.
Some time ago, the government said the need for technology talent stood at 600,000 people but only 100,000 people were available per year. The shortage of technology talents in 2030 is estimated to reach 9 million workers in the field of digital technology (Kompas, 15/2/2021).
The supervisor of the Informatics and Computers Higher Education Association, Prof. Eko Indrajit, said that the Merdeka Belajar (Freedom to Learn) for the Kampus Merdeka (Independent Campus) episode by the Education and Culture Ministry opens opportunities for cross-study programs. Even, universities and industry can research artificial intelligence together.
Vice Rector of the University of Indonesia (UI) for Research and Innovation Nurtami said that for the next three years, UI will focus on producing superior human resources, especially in the field of artificial intelligence. UI has a road map for the design of the artificial intelligence research process through the UI Rector\'s Decree Number 1738 of 2020.
High-performance computing infrastructure is provided to support artificial intelligence research. This facility can be used for Big Data management practices, academic activities, and research.
In order to prepare human resources in the field of artificial intelligence, UI has formal and informal education programs. The scientific core of artificial intelligence innovation lies in the realm of computer science. Thus, academics outside the study program can still take part in competency training that supports artificial intelligence, such as machine learning and data science.
UI\'s artificial intelligence innovations include detection of Covid-19 through an innovative tool called DSS-CovIDNet. This innovation is used to classify chest x-rays into three groups, namely Covid-19 pneumonia, non-Covid-19 pneumonia, and normal lungs.
Various problems
Rector of Telkom University Adiwijaya said campuses were encouraging students and lecturers to actively study artificial intelligence. The education program curriculum is directed towards supporting talent needs.
"Artificial intelligence helps solve problems in society, not only in the telecommunications sector, but from food security to environmental cleanliness. This means that the education programs being involved are not limited to informatics,” he said.
Artificial intelligence helps solve problems in society, not only in the telecommunications sector, but from food security to environmental cleanliness.
At Telkom University, study programs that actively research artificial intelligence innovations include informatics, electrical engineering, and software engineering. Telkom University is preparing to open a special study program on artificial intelligence.
The Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Informatics Engineering, Gadjah Mada University (UGM), who is also the chairman of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers System, Man, and Cybernetics Indonesia Chapter, Sunu Wibirama, said opportunities for artificial intelligence innovation in Indonesia can be seen from the establishment of an artificial intelligence centers ( AI centers) in a number of universities. UGM has an AI Center of Excellence which was inaugurated on Feb. 22, 2019.
The AI Center of Excellence has research activities, among others, an automatic detection intelligent system for vehicles, automatic identifiers for car plates, and a visual-based smart system to assist navigation automatically.
A lecturer at the School of Electrical and Informatics Engineering at the Bandung Institute of Technology, Ayu Purwarianti, said that a number of artificial intelligence-based innovation research had been carried out, including the speech biometric system for intelligence systems, Covid-19 social media monitoring, hoax classification, and news article generator bots.
According to her, even though artificial intelligence research in Indonesia could now be called advanced compared to previous years, the level of research and application of artificial intelligence technology in Indonesia is still lower than in other countries, even neighboring countries.
Sunu was of the opinion that artificial intelligence research cannot be carried out without superior human resources whose competencies have been built since primary education. The primary education level should begin to strengthen students in fields of science that support artificial intelligence, such as mathematics that is related to algebra, calculus, and statistics.
National strategy
The government has a grand strategy for developing artificial intelligence until 2045. This is contained in the National Strategy for Indonesian Artificial Intelligence 2020-2045 issued by the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology. The higher education institutions are an important element for the success of the strategy.
Generally there is no integration among data due to technical and non-technical obstacles.
In the national strategy document, it is stated that Indonesia\'s weakness is the scattering of digital datasets. Data, both in quantity and quality, need to be improved for experimental needs.
Nurtami said, the absence of large digital data sets becomes a problem in the development of artificial intelligence. The data sets are indispensable for building solutions. “The data sets that are available and can be accessed are often scattered and fragmented because they come from different sources. Generally there is no integration among data due to technical and non-technical obstacles,” Nurtami said.