I visited Haiko, Hainan, an island in the South China Sea China, on 26-29 March 2025 for a conference on the South China Sea. It was a sub-forum of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) where I gave a talk on the utilization of geospatial data to promote collaboration in environmental protection in the South China Sea. The invitation came from the National Institute of the South China Sea, in collaboration with other intuitions such as China Oceanic Development Foundation, Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, and Boao Forum for Asia Secretariat.
Learning Maritime Boundary Issues from An Established Diplomat
I’ve always believed that learning should begin with real-world practice, not just theory. That’s why I often invite practitioners to teach in my classes. This time, I had the honor of welcoming Ambassador Dr. Damos Agusman, Indonesia’s Ambassador to Austria in Vienna, to share his insights and experiences on maritime boundary delimitation.
An Ambassadorial Lecture by Dr. Bebeb Djunjunan from Athen
I have known Ambassador Djundjunan for almost ten years. Pak Bebeb, how I call him, is a senior diplomat from Indonesia. At the time of writing, He is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to the Republic of Greece in Athen. On 10 March 2025, he was kind enough to teach in my two classes: Border Management, and Delimitation and Demarcation of Maritime Boundaries. It was such a privilege.
The communication was easy. Pak Bebeb is a kind and humble Ambassador to communicate with me via Whatsapp. When I texted him regarding my plan to invite him to my class, he said yes without any hesitation. I texted him on 27 February 2025 and 11 days later he was already in my online class. Pak Bebeb appeared in my class through a zoom meeting.
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I Made Andi Arsana*
Of course, the terms “permissible” (halal) and “prohibited” (haram) in the title of this article are not religious terms to be examined based on the Quran. I borrowed these terms because they were inspired by the name of the Arsana Space event organized by Arsana Ecosystem on February 9, 2025. In this event, Robertus Setiawan Aji Nugroho (Aji) and I were invited to share insights about the use of AI in research. Since it was held in the evening before breaking the fast, the organizers used the terms “permissible” (halal) and “prohibited” (haram).
Aji is an outstanding expert. Not only is he a practitioner of AI, but he has also been conducting research in the field for over a decade. Long before ChatGPT became widely popular, Aji was already deeply engaged with the power of computers to “understand” relationships and “meanings” between human words and sentences. Aji earned his Ph.D. from Macquarie University in Sydney, after previously obtaining his Master’s degree from UNSW in the same city in Australia. When it comes to AI, there is no reason to doubt Aji’s expertise.
Continue reading “Using AI for Research: Permissible (Halal) or Prohibited (Haram)?”