Bandung, 20 January 2026, Is Physics merely about formulas, calculations, and exam problems?
This question was answered in a different way during the Scientific Oration of the 71st Dies Natalis of Parahyangan Catholic University (UNPAR). On that occasion, Haryanto M. Siahaan, Ph.D., a lecturer in Theoretical Physics at the UNPAR Physics Study Program, delivered an oration entitled:
“UNPARVERSE: Navigating Artificial Intelligence in the Light of Conscience.”
Through this oration, Physics was presented not simply as a technical discipline, but as a way of thinking to interpret the changes of our time—especially in confronting the massive wave of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that is now reshaping how people learn, work, and make decisions.
According to him, AI is not merely a technological trend. It is both the greatest intellectual and moral challenge of this century.
AI as the “Event Horizon” of Our Time
In physics, the concept of an event horizon refers to the boundary around a black hole where reality inside differs from reality outside. Once crossed, nothing returns in the same way.
This analogy was used to explain the development of AI.
As a global society, we are standing at the threshold of a new “event horizon.” The world after AI will no longer be the same:
the way we learn is changing, the way we work is changing, and even the way we understand ourselves as human beings is transforming.
Yet for a physicist, boundaries are not something to fear.
On the contrary, they are invitations to deepen our understanding.
Not to retreat, but to move forward with knowledge.
Becoming the “Master of the Tools,” Not Victims of Technology
One of the strongest messages of the oration was:
Advanced technology does not automatically make humans intelligent. It is our way of thinking that truly matters.
Throughout the history of science, researchers have always used tools—calculators, computers, simulations—to handle technical tasks. The goal is not to replace thinking, but to allow humans to focus on what truly matters: concepts, meaning, and the bigger picture.
The same principle applies in the AI era.
AI may assist.
AI may accelerate.
But humans must remain in charge.
According to the oration, UNPAR Physics students are not trained to be “answer copiers,” but to become individuals who are:
- critical thinkers,
- able to ask the right questions,
- capable of validating results, and
- aware of both scientific and ethical consequences.
In other words: to master the tools, not be mastered by them.
Why Is UNPAR Physics Relevant in the AI Era?
Through the theme UNPARVERSE, the oration also emphasized the unique position of UNPAR Physics in facing the future of technology.
1. Understanding the “Why,” not only the “What”
Machines can calculate and predict.
But physicists are trained to ask: Why does this happen? How do the fundamental principles work?
This conceptual approach is what keeps humans relevant amid automation.
2. Creating order amid entropy
The universe naturally tends toward disorder.
Science and education represent humanity’s effort to create order, meaning, and knowledge.
Studying physics means becoming part of that greater mission.
3. Innovation with Conscience
The theme of UNPAR’s Dies Natalis, “Innovation with Conscience,” serves as the moral foundation emphasized in the oration.
Technology without conscience can be powerful yet dangerous.
Therefore, innovation must go hand in hand with responsibility, ethics, and human values.
This is the compass that distinguishes UNPAR: innovation rooted in conscience.
Becoming Navigators of the Future
Toward the end of the oration, a thought-provoking reflection was shared:
The world no longer needs people who simply input data quickly—AI can already do that.
The world needs thinkers who can understand major transformations and guide them toward the common good.
Students and the younger generation are encouraged not to become objects controlled by technology, but subjects who determine the direction of technology.
To enter the “UNPARVERSE” not as spectators, but as navigators.
With heads held high.
With critical reasoning.
And with conscience.
Because in the end, Physics is not merely about formulas. Physics is a way of reading the future.