Indonesia
As part of its commitment to developing a Center of Excellence in Digital Humanities, the English Literature Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Studies (FCS), Universitas Brawijaya (UB), held a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) Workshop entitled “Exploring Digital Cultures: Critical Approaches in a Global Context.” The event, which took place on Monday (11/11/2024) in Room 2.1-2.2 Building A FCS UB, invited Dr. Matti Pohjonen, a Digital Humanities researcher from the University of Helsinki, Finland, as a guest speaker.
In his presentation, Dr. Matti emphasized the importance of Generative AI technology in contemporary research, especially in social sciences and humanities. According to him, there are three main factors underlying the relevance of Generative AI in current research: (1) Digital Data Explosion: Data collected through social media, self-tracking, web cookies, and digital footprints provide a vast picture of our world, (2) Computational Advances: The availability of cheaper and more sophisticated computing technologies enables large-scale data processing, and (3) Rapid Technological Innovation: The development of AI-based technologies, such as large language models (LLMs), ChatGPT, and text-to-image generation, opens up new opportunities in data analysis.
“Generative AI can be a powerful tool to support research, especially for big data approaches,” says Dr. Matti.
However, he also highlighted the challenges that need to be addressed when using Generative AI. One of the main issues is the limited data used to train AI models. These issues include (1) a need for more data diversity, especially regarding language and culture, and (2) biased data representation, where most data comes from developed countries, particularly the United States. It creates a perspective that does not represent developing countries, including Indonesia.
Dr. Matti explained that one of the significant challenges is the need for more data from countries in the global south. Even when data is available, the dominant perspective often comes from developed countries.
“This exaggerates the perspective of countries like the US on the global south instead of presenting a more authentic view of those countries,” he emphasized.
However, Dr. Matti is optimistic that Generative AI also offers new opportunities in humanities research. For example, with a more contextual approach, AI can be used for digital ethnography and discourse analysis. Regarding data quantity, computational-based content analysis methods, such as LLMs, can be applied to generate deeper insights.
He also recommended several literature sources to understand further the application of Generative AI, including the articles “Automating Thematic Analysis” by Awais Hameed Khan and team and “Large Language Models” by Michael Heseltine and Bernard.
In closing, Dr. Matti emphasized the importance of responsibility in using Generative AI, especially in academia.
“As teachers, we need to guide students to use this technology wisely,” he said.
This workshop not only broadens the horizons of Generative AI but also encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration to understand digital culture in a global context. Thus, Generative AI can be a strategic tool in more inclusive and sustainable research in the digital era. [trans.acl/ed.dts/PR FCS]