Yogyakarta, 20th July 2026—Australia–Indonesia in Conversation (AIC) 2026 at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIPOL) at UGM hosted a panel titled “Sustaining Imagination: Eco-Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Ethics of Intelligent Futures.”
Unlike the previous panel, which discussed the governance of power, this panel focused on the perspectives of human creativity, ethics, and ecological sustainability. In his opening remarks, Wawan Mas’udi, Dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at UGM, emphasized the importance of discussing the influence of AI on human imagination that is both ethical and ecologically conscious. “This panel invites us to reflect on how technological innovation can support—rather than replace—human imagination, while remaining committed to ethical responsibility and ecological awareness,” he said.
This panel featured Assoc. Prof. Edwin Jurriëns and Dr. Jasmin Pfefferkorn from the University of Melbourne, as well as Dr. Dedy Permadi and Dewi Cahyani Puspitasari, Ph.D., from Gadjah Mada University. The discussion was moderated by Dian Fatmawati, Ph.D.
In his presentation, Assoc. Prof. Edwin Jurriëns cautioned that if AI is not managed with ecological and ethical awareness, digital technology risks becoming a new tool that reinforces inequality, rather than serving as a space for a collective imagination grounded in justice. “The enclosure of biodiversity and knowledge is the final step in a series of enclosures that began with the rise of colonialism. Land and forests were the first resources to be enclosed and converted from commons to commodities. Later on, water resources were enclosed through dams, groundwater mining, and privatization schemes. Now it’s the turn of biodiversity and knowledge to be enclosed through intellectual property rights,” he asserted.
Furthermore, Dedy Permadi highlighted the ecological impacts of AI use and the lack of regulation to address them—a phenomenon he termed “the governance paradox.” “The use of AI consumes enormous amounts of energy, water, and rare earth minerals. However, the global governance frameworks designed so far have not been adequately formulated to address these environmental impacts,” he said.
Finally, Dewi Cahyani Puspitasari, in her presentation, also pointed out that there is a trend toward the substitution of human roles in the creative sector and raised questions about the authenticity of creative works. “There is a threat that humans will be replaced. Studies on the role of AI in digital storytelling and music composition indicate a trend toward this shift, raising questions about the originality and authenticity of creative works produced by AI,” she emphasized.
This event, organized through a collaboration between FISIPOL UGM and the University of Melbourne, is expected to foster a shared ethical commitment, particularly in building a digital future that is not only smart but also equitable and sustainable.
The integration of environmentally friendly technology into educational curricula was emphasized as a crucial step toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in ensuring access to education that promotes ethical and ecological awareness.