EN.MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, YOGYAKARTA — The development of artificial intelligence (AI) has become an inseparable part of technological change. Muhammadiyah Central Board Chairperson Agung Danarto is encouraging cadres, particularly young people, to master the technology and make the most of it for the common good.
Agung made the remarks during the Lensamu Podcast on Sunday (20/9). He said technological development was impossible to avoid. Young Muhammadiyah members therefore need to keep pace with technological change so they are not left behind.
“Young people must master modern technology, including AI,” Agung said.
He said technological mastery should be part of the spirit of Progressive Islam. Advances in science and technology, he argued, reflect Islam’s encouragement for people to keep learning, develop civilization, and contribute to human well-being.
However, Agung warned that AI also presents challenges, particularly concerning the validity of information. Information generated by technology cannot always be accepted at face value and must be checked and verified.
“AI has its weaknesses, particularly when it comes to the validity of information,” he said. Therefore, the ability to use technology must be accompanied by the skills needed to examine the information it produces.
For Agung, technological mastery must also go hand in hand with ethics. He regards morality and akhlak as foundations of human life, including when navigating technological development.
He said intelligence without ethics could be used to serve personal or group interests. A person’s knowledge and abilities could even be used to minteri, or outsmart and take advantage of others, when they are not guided by moral values.
Education in akhlak, therefore, should serve as a foundation for human development. Intellectual ability, technology and knowledge should ultimately be directed toward the interests of society as a whole.
Knowledge, Faith, and Common Good
Agung also connected this principle to the human role as khalifah and as a bearer of mercy for life. In his view, progress should not be measured solely by technological sophistication, but also by the extent to which knowledge and technology produce benefits.
Religion, therefore, should not be understood merely as a source of personal peace. Islam Berkemajuan, Agung said, should encourage Muslims to contribute to the advancement of society and bring benefits and mercy to humanity and the environment.
For young people, Agung also highlighted changes in lifestyle brought about by digital technology. He quoted the saying, “Every person has their time, and every era has its people.”
Generational change, he said, is natural. Yet such change must remain grounded in identity. People must continue to understand themselves as beings created by Allah with the purpose of worshipping Him while also bringing benefit and mercy to others.
The increasingly digital nature of everyday life should not lead young people to live entirely in the digital world. Direct social interaction, physical activity, exercise and attention to health remain essential.
Agung sees the challenge for the younger generation as finding a balance between technological mastery and Islamic values. Technology will continue to evolve, but the way it is used should remain oriented toward the common good.
