PRESERVING PROVERBS IN THE DIGITAL AGE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY ON STAKEHOLDER PERCEPTIONS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR ACEHNESE LANGUAGE HERITAGE
Keywords:
Acehnese Language, Artificial Intelligence, Cultural Preservation, Endangered Languages, Ethical AI
Abstract
This qualitative study investigates the perceived opportunities and challenges of developing an artificial intelligence (AI) application for preserving Acehnese proverbs (Hadih Maja), a critical yet endangered component of cultural heritage. Conducted as a multi-stakeholder feasibility study, it engages academics (linguists, anthropologists, AI/data scientists) and cultural custodians (tokoh adat) in North Aceh and Lhokseumawe, Indonesia. Through reflexive thematic analysis of in-depth interviews, the research reveals a dualistic landscape. Stakeholders recognize AI’s transformative potential as a bridge for intergenerational engagement, enabling interactive, mobile-based learning for youth. However, this promise is counterbalanced by formidable socio-technical hurdles. Key challenges include the fundamental "low-resource" paradox—where data scarcity severely limits natural language processing capabilities—and profound ethical risks of cultural decontextualization, trivialization, and the erosion of community sovereignty over knowledge. The findings underscore that the primary impediments are not merely technical but deeply socio-technical, necessitating an approach that makes community governance and cultural integrity foundational. The study concludes that a successful initiative must be reconceptualized from an "AI development project" to a "community-led cultural revitalization project enabled by AI," prioritizing participatory co-design, ethical data governance guided by the CARE principles, and the creation of a culturally-grounded multimodal corpus before any substantial technical development. This research offers a critical framework for ethically and effectively leveraging AI in endangered language contexts globally.
References
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Chen, B., & Chen, L. (2025). ‘Speak Hokkien’: language revitalisation and discursive opportunity structures for Chinese in Penang, Malaysia. Language and Intercultural Communication, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2025.2471946
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Granjeiro, J. M., Cury, A. A. D. B., Cury, J. A., Bueno, M., Sousa-Neto, M. D., & Estrela, C. (2025). The Future of Scientific Writing: AI Tools, Benefits, and Ethical Implications. Brazilian Dental Journal, 36. https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-644020256471
Grenoble, L. A. (2010). Language documentation and field linguistics. In Language Documentation (pp. 289–310). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/z.158.28gre
Holmes, Wayne., Bialik, Maya., & Fadel, Charles. (2019). Artificial intelligence in education: promises and implications for teaching and learning. The Center for Curriculum Redesign.
Horna-Saldaña, C. J., Perez Perez, J. E., & Toro Galeano, M. L. (2025). Artificial intelligence in the preservation of native languages and bridging the information access gap for indigenous peoples. Journal of Enabling Technologies, 19(1), 63–75. https://doi.org/10.1108/JET-09-2024-0063
Ibrahim, I. H., & Usman, J. (2021). Cultural Values in Acehnese Farming-Related Proverbs. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v11i2.32323
Ishkhanyan, A. (2025). Ethical considerations in AI-powered language technologies: insights from East and West Armenian. AI and Ethics, 5(4), 4135–4146. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-025-00716-6
Jia, S., Lu, Z., & Bava Harji, M. (2025). A mobile-assisted language learning speaking model: development and evaluation. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2025.2599150
Jiang, P., Niu, W., Wang, Q., Yuan, R., & Chen, K. (2024). Understanding Users’ Acceptance of Artificial Intelligence Applications: A Literature Review. Behavioral Sciences, 14(8), 671. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14080671
Julia, P., & Jeyanthi, D. B. (2025). Impact of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning on ESL Literacy Skills. Lex Localis - Journal of Local Self-Government, 23(S6), 8300–8325. https://doi.org/10.52152/fkpknf66
Lee, K., & Joshi, K. (2020). Understanding the Role of Cultural Context and User Interaction in Artificial Intelligence Based Systems. Journal of Global Information Technology Management, 23(3), 171–175. https://doi.org/10.1080/1097198X.2020.1794131
Muntazar, T., & Hajar, I. (2025). Discursive and Metalinguistic Perspectives on AI-Generated Writing Feedback: A Student Perception Study. Journal Informatic, Education and Management (JIEM), 7(2), 516–526. https://doi.org/10.61992/jiem.v7i2.168
Nguyen, A., Hong, Y., Dang, B., & Huang, X. (2024). Human-AI collaboration patterns in AI-assisted academic writing. Studies in Higher Education, 49(5), 847–864. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2024.2323593
Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic Analysis. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
Patton, M. Quinn. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: integrating theory and practice. SAGE Publications, Inc.
Rousan, S. al, Al-Jbour, R., Rousan, R. M. Al, AlRousan, M., & Hassan, H. (2025). Beyond Words: A Linguistic and Cultural Analysis of Tribe’s Image in Jordanian Proverbs. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 15(5), 1658–1666. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1505.30
Satyawati, Astini, N. M. D., Sumarni, N. M., Kanta, K., Safar, J., Lutzenberger, H., Palfreyman, N., & de Vos, C. (2025). The Balinese Homesign Corpus: New insights into corpus development in a rural signing context. Language Documentation and Conservation, 19, 305–327.
Smith, L. Tuhiwai. (2024). Decolonizing methodologies: research and indigenous peoples. Bloomsbury Academic.
Tang, J., Zhai, Y., Li, L., Liu, P., & Deng, H. (2025). Mobile learning for less-commonly taught languages: design and application. Journal of China Computer-Assisted Language Learning, 5(1), 23–55. https://doi.org/10.1515/jccall-2024-0006
Zulkhairi, T., & Hajar, I. (2023). How Jawi Script Influences Religious Attitudes: An Evidence from Aceh. Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun, 11(2), 633–650. https://doi.org/10.26811/peuradeun.v11i2.922
Zulkhairi, T., Hajar, I., Safriadi, S., Marzuki, M., & Saifullah, S. (2024). Baḥtsul Masāil at a Traditional Islamic Educational Institution in Aceh: Teungku Dayah’s Contribution to the Development of Islamic Law. Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Dan Hukum Islam, 8(1), 579. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v8i1.17408
Abingosa, D., Bokingkito, P., Pasandalan, S. N., Alovera, J. R. G., & Otano, J. (2025). Digitizing the Higaonon Language: A Mobile Application for Indigenous Preservation in the Philippines. Informatics, 12(3), 90. https://doi.org/10.3390/informatics12030090
Al-Auwal, T. M. R. (2017). Reluctance of Acehnese youth to use Acehnese. Studies in English Language and Education, 4(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v4i1.7000
Al-Auwal, T. M. R., Amery, R., & Green, I. (2024). Language shift in Aceh: The sociolinguistic situation of post-conflict society. Studies in English Language and Education, 11(3), 1748–1766. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v11i3.39159
Ardalan, I. D., Banifatemi, A., Gonzalez, F., Ingram, M., Moradinezhad, R., & Williams, L. (2025). AI for Community. Chapman and Hall/CRC. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003517115
Atifnigar, H., Dawlatzai, A. K., & Habib, S. (2025). Effective Strategies for Preserving Mother Tongues: Approaches to Linguistic and Cultural Sustainability. European Journal of Contemporary Education and E-Learning, 3(2), 3–14. https://doi.org/10.59324/ejceel.2025.3(2).01
Barnes, A. J., Zhang, Y., & Valenzuela, A. (2024). AI and culture: Culturally dependent responses to AI systems. Current Opinion in Psychology, 58, 101838. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2024.101838
Battista, D. (2024). The Digital as Sacred Space: Exploring the Online Religious Dimension. Academicus International Scientific Journal, 29, 21–37. https://doi.org/10.7336/academicus.2024.29.02
Blokland, R., Fedina, M., Gerstenberger, C., Partanen, N., Rießler, M., & Wilbur, J. (2015). Language Documentation meets Language Technology. Septentrio Conference Series, (2), 8. https://doi.org/10.7557/5.3457
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Brinkmann, S., & Kvale, S. (2018). Doing Interviews. SAGE Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529716665
Carroll, S. R., Herczog, E., Hudson, M., Russell, K., & Stall, S. (2021). Operationalizing the CARE and FAIR Principles for Indigenous data futures. Scientific Data, 8(1), 108. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-021-00892-0
Castro, A., Díaz, B., Aguilera, C., Prat, M., & Chávez-Herting, D. (2025). Identifying Rural Elementary Teachers’ Perception Challenges and Opportunities in Integrating Artificial Intelligence in Teaching Practices. Sustainability, 17(6), 2748. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17062748
Chen, B., & Chen, L. (2025). ‘Speak Hokkien’: language revitalisation and discursive opportunity structures for Chinese in Penang, Malaysia. Language and Intercultural Communication, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2025.2471946
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design. SAGE.
Drucker, J. (2021). Sustainability and complexity: Knowledge and authority in the digital humanities. Digital Scholarship in the Humanities, 36(Supplement_2), ii86–ii94. https://doi.org/10.1093/llc/fqab025
Edmond, J., & Morselli, F. (2020). Sustainability of digital humanities projects as a publication and documentation challenge. Journal of Documentation, 76(5), 1019–1031. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-12-2019-0232
Freeman, S. B. (2025). Ghost in the Machine: Metadata, Commodification, and the Specter of Artificial Intelligence. Journal of Library Metadata, 25(3), 223–239. https://doi.org/10.1080/19386389.2025.2523717
Gangwal, A., Ansari, A., Ahmad, I., Azad, A. K., & Wan Sulaiman, W. M. A. (2024). Current strategies to address data scarcity in artificial intelligence-based drug discovery: A comprehensive review. Computers in Biology and Medicine, 179, 108734. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.108734
Gerlich, M. (2023). Perceptions and Acceptance of Artificial Intelligence: A Multi-Dimensional Study. Social Sciences, 12(9), 502. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12090502
Granjeiro, J. M., Cury, A. A. D. B., Cury, J. A., Bueno, M., Sousa-Neto, M. D., & Estrela, C. (2025). The Future of Scientific Writing: AI Tools, Benefits, and Ethical Implications. Brazilian Dental Journal, 36. https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-644020256471
Grenoble, L. A. (2010). Language documentation and field linguistics. In Language Documentation (pp. 289–310). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/z.158.28gre
Holmes, Wayne., Bialik, Maya., & Fadel, Charles. (2019). Artificial intelligence in education: promises and implications for teaching and learning. The Center for Curriculum Redesign.
Horna-Saldaña, C. J., Perez Perez, J. E., & Toro Galeano, M. L. (2025). Artificial intelligence in the preservation of native languages and bridging the information access gap for indigenous peoples. Journal of Enabling Technologies, 19(1), 63–75. https://doi.org/10.1108/JET-09-2024-0063
Ibrahim, I. H., & Usman, J. (2021). Cultural Values in Acehnese Farming-Related Proverbs. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v11i2.32323
Ishkhanyan, A. (2025). Ethical considerations in AI-powered language technologies: insights from East and West Armenian. AI and Ethics, 5(4), 4135–4146. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-025-00716-6
Jia, S., Lu, Z., & Bava Harji, M. (2025). A mobile-assisted language learning speaking model: development and evaluation. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2025.2599150
Jiang, P., Niu, W., Wang, Q., Yuan, R., & Chen, K. (2024). Understanding Users’ Acceptance of Artificial Intelligence Applications: A Literature Review. Behavioral Sciences, 14(8), 671. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14080671
Julia, P., & Jeyanthi, D. B. (2025). Impact of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning on ESL Literacy Skills. Lex Localis - Journal of Local Self-Government, 23(S6), 8300–8325. https://doi.org/10.52152/fkpknf66
Lee, K., & Joshi, K. (2020). Understanding the Role of Cultural Context and User Interaction in Artificial Intelligence Based Systems. Journal of Global Information Technology Management, 23(3), 171–175. https://doi.org/10.1080/1097198X.2020.1794131
Muntazar, T., & Hajar, I. (2025). Discursive and Metalinguistic Perspectives on AI-Generated Writing Feedback: A Student Perception Study. Journal Informatic, Education and Management (JIEM), 7(2), 516–526. https://doi.org/10.61992/jiem.v7i2.168
Nguyen, A., Hong, Y., Dang, B., & Huang, X. (2024). Human-AI collaboration patterns in AI-assisted academic writing. Studies in Higher Education, 49(5), 847–864. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2024.2323593
Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic Analysis. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
Patton, M. Quinn. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: integrating theory and practice. SAGE Publications, Inc.
Rousan, S. al, Al-Jbour, R., Rousan, R. M. Al, AlRousan, M., & Hassan, H. (2025). Beyond Words: A Linguistic and Cultural Analysis of Tribe’s Image in Jordanian Proverbs. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 15(5), 1658–1666. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1505.30
Satyawati, Astini, N. M. D., Sumarni, N. M., Kanta, K., Safar, J., Lutzenberger, H., Palfreyman, N., & de Vos, C. (2025). The Balinese Homesign Corpus: New insights into corpus development in a rural signing context. Language Documentation and Conservation, 19, 305–327.
Smith, L. Tuhiwai. (2024). Decolonizing methodologies: research and indigenous peoples. Bloomsbury Academic.
Tang, J., Zhai, Y., Li, L., Liu, P., & Deng, H. (2025). Mobile learning for less-commonly taught languages: design and application. Journal of China Computer-Assisted Language Learning, 5(1), 23–55. https://doi.org/10.1515/jccall-2024-0006
Zulkhairi, T., & Hajar, I. (2023). How Jawi Script Influences Religious Attitudes: An Evidence from Aceh. Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun, 11(2), 633–650. https://doi.org/10.26811/peuradeun.v11i2.922
Zulkhairi, T., Hajar, I., Safriadi, S., Marzuki, M., & Saifullah, S. (2024). Baḥtsul Masāil at a Traditional Islamic Educational Institution in Aceh: Teungku Dayah’s Contribution to the Development of Islamic Law. Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Dan Hukum Islam, 8(1), 579. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v8i1.17408
Published
2026-02-25
How to Cite
Hajar, I., Husna, A., Aulia, M. K., & Muntazar, T. (2026). PRESERVING PROVERBS IN THE DIGITAL AGE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY ON STAKEHOLDER PERCEPTIONS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR ACEHNESE LANGUAGE HERITAGE. Journal Informatic, Education and Management (JIEM), 8(1), 1170-1185. https://doi.org/10.61992/jiem.v8i1.306
Section
Articles
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