ICoDH 2026: UIN Jakarta Reinforces the Role of Humanities in the Digital Era
Ciputat, UIN Online News – UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, through its Faculty of Humanities (FAH), continues to promote the development of digital humanities as an approach bridging technological advancement with human values, education, and sustainable development. This initiative culminated in The 2nd International Conference on Digital Humanities (ICoDH) 2026, held virtually on Wednesday (September 9, 2026) at FAH UIN Jakarta.
Carrying the theme “Digital Humanities & SDGs: Innovation, Challenge and Future,” the event was officially opened by UIN Jakarta's Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Prof. Dr. Ahmad Tholabi Kharlie, S.Ag., S.H., M.H., M.A., representing the Rector of UIN Jakarta.
In his opening address, Prof. Tholabi highlighted that the massive development of digital technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has significantly transformed human lives. Within intellectual and academic traditions, he noted shifts in how people read, write, conduct research, preserve knowledge, and understand culture.
According to Prof. Tholabi, these developments present new opportunities for the humanities. However, technological advancement must be balanced with careful attention to human, cultural, and ethical dimensions to ensure innovations yield tangible benefits for society.
“These developments present extraordinary opportunities for the humanities. At the same time, we must ask fundamental questions: how technology can serve humanity, how innovation can strengthen human creativity and cultural identity, and how digital transformation can contribute to an inclusive and sustainable future,” he stated.
Prof. Tholabi further emphasized the necessity of a critical humanities perspective toward technological growth, ensuring that digital transformation remains human-centered rather than solely technology-driven.
This perspective directly aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda, particularly Goal 4 regarding Quality Education. Amid current digital advances, education must extend beyond providing technological access; it must foster the capacity to utilize technology critically, creatively, ethically, and responsibly.
“Technology should be positioned as an instrument to enhance the quality of education and human life. This is where the humanities play a vital role in ensuring that digital transformation remains rooted in human values, culture, and societal well-being,” he explained.
The ICoDH 2026 conference explored the application of digital technology and AI across various humanities disciplines. Key areas of discussion included digital approaches to classical and modern Arabic literary texts; the integration of AI in Arabic language and literature research; digital archiving and mapping of Islamic historical heritage; the use of digital resources and corpora in translation studies alongside machine and AI-based translation technologies; digital and computational approaches to English literary studies; as well as digital archiving, cultural heritage preservation, and AI-driven library service automation.
The hosting of ICoDH 2026 forms part of UIN Jakarta’s broader strategy to expand international academic collaboration while strengthening the contribution of the humanities in responding to technological change. By intersecting humanities traditions with digital innovation, the conference aims to support the development of education, culture, and knowledge anchored in human values and sustainable development.