Kesenjangan Digital di Era Kecerdasan Buatan: Tantangan Aksesibilitas dan Eksklusi Sosial dalam Pendidikan Masyarakat Rural
Abstract
The development of artificial intelligence (AI) in education is often viewed as an innovative solution to improve learning quality and educational equity. However, in rural contexts, the use of AI may instead exacerbate educational disparities if it is not supported by adequate structural readiness. This article aims to analyze the digital divide in the use of AI in education, focusing on accessibility challenges and their implications for social exclusion in rural areas. Employing a literature-based qualitative analysis, this study examines national and international peer-reviewed journal articles addressing AI in education, digital divide, rural education, and educational policy. The findings indicate that limited digital infrastructure, low levels of digital and AI literacy among teachers and students, as well as insufficient policy readiness and institutional support, constitute major barriers to the meaningful implementation of AI in rural education. These conditions contribute to social exclusion and the reproduction of educational inequality in the AI era. The article argues that AI in education should be understood not merely as a technological issue, but as a social and pedagogical concern that requires equitable and context-sensitive policy approaches to ensure that AI serves as a tool for educational inclusion rather than exclusion.
Abstrak
Perkembangan kecerdasan buatan (artificial intelligence atau AI) dalam pendidikan sering dipandang sebagai solusi inovatif untuk meningkatkan kualitas dan pemerataan pembelajaran. Namun, dalam konteks masyarakat rural, pemanfaatan AI justru berpotensi memperlebar kesenjangan pendidikan apabila tidak didukung oleh kesiapan struktural yang memadai. Artikel ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis kesenjangan digital dalam pemanfaatan AI di bidang pendidikan dengan fokus pada tantangan aksesibilitas dan implikasinya terhadap eksklusi sosial di wilayah rural. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif berbasis kajian literatur (literature-based qualitative analysis) dengan menganalisis artikel jurnal ilmiah nasional dan internasional yang membahas AI dalam pendidikan, kesenjangan digital, pendidikan rural, dan kebijakan pendidikan. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa keterbatasan infrastruktur digital, rendahnya literasi digital dan literasi AI pendidik serta peserta didik, serta lemahnya kesiapan kebijakan dan dukungan institusional menjadi faktor utama yang menghambat pemanfaatan AI secara bermakna di pendidikan rural. Kondisi tersebut berkontribusi pada munculnya eksklusi sosial dan reproduksi ketimpangan pendidikan di era AI. Artikel ini menegaskan bahwa pemanfaatan AI dalam pendidikan perlu ditempatkan sebagai isu sosial dan pedagogis, bukan semata-mata isu teknologi, serta memerlukan pendekatan kebijakan yang berkeadilan dan kontekstual agar AI dapat berfungsi sebagai instrumen pemerataan pendidikan.
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