Banjarmasin, SCHOOL NEWS — Three Postgraduate Schools (SPs) of State Islamic Religious Universities, SPs UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, SPs UIN Antasari Banjarmasin, and SPs Sultan Thaha Saifudin Jambi held an international conference with a focus on the impact of the development of artificial intelligence and climate change (climate change). Dozens of domestic and foreign scholars presented their research results at the conference.

The conference 'The 6th International Colloquium on Interdisciplinary Islamic Studies (ICIIS)' and 'The Fifth Annual Postgraduates Conference on Moslem Society (APCoMs) 2023' took place at UIN Banjarmasin, Tuesday-Thursday (19-21/9/2023). The conference itself took the theme 'Religion, Education, Science and Technology towards a More Inclusive and Sustainable Future'.

Chancellor of UIN Banjarmasin, Prof. Dr. H. Mujiburrahman MA in his speech said that the conference theme was taken to refer to the massive development of artificial intelligence and climate change in human life today. Such conditions require a response from the religious and higher education side.

“Today, discussions in many circles highlight the development of artificial intelligence and climate change. "Of course this requires a response from religion and higher education," he said.

Chancellor Mujiburrahman said that the development of artificial intelligence and massive climate change illustrate the development of technology and its impact on universal life as a user of technology. Technology, he said, was actually developed to speed up the fulfillment of needs as well as make things easier for humans.

However, technology itself has two sides, positive and negative. On the positive side, technology multiplies speed, accuracy and power. Negatively, technology also causes damage when used incorrectly.

“Climate change, I think, is generally caused by the misuse of technology. "Where, with technology, humans carry out massive deforestation for the benefit of the timber, mining, plantation and other industries," he explained.

For this reason, Professor Mujiburrahman added, the conference is expected to provide enrichment of research-based academic perspectives for formulating the use of technology for a better human life. "As khalifatullah fil ardh, we are morally responsible for what is on this earth," he added.

The Chancellor of UIN Jakarta, Prof Asep Saepudin Jahar MA Ph.D, welcomed the theme of the ICIIS conference this time. According to him, this conference is very relevant to the needs of today's humanity which is faced with the development of artificial intelligence and massive climate change.

“We welcome this conference. "We hope that academics, researchers from various universities can present their findings in order to provide the right response to the development of artificial intelligence and climate change," he said.

In addition to presentations by dozens of scholars, the conference also scheduled academic presentations from a number of professors. Among them, Datin Prof. Raihanah Binti Hj. Abdullah (University of Malaysia), Prof. Stephan Dobson (Central Queensland University, Australia), Prof. Dr. H. Khoiruddin Nasution MA (UIN Sunan Kalijaga, Yogyakarta), and Prof. Philip Buckley (McGill University, Canada). (FNH/ZM)