Google through Google for Education Indonesia has proposed a collaboration with Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU) to support AI-based digital transformation in education and strengthen the university’s vision of becoming a digital campus.
The initiative was discussed during an audience meeting between the Google Indonesia team and UMSU on Wednesday (May 6) at the UMSU Meeting Room on Jalan Muchtar Basri No. 3, Medan.
UMSU Rector Akrim welcomed the visit and emphasized that digital technology development has become an essential part of modern education. According to him, Google has become inseparable from daily life and the education sector.
“We warmly welcome the Google team to UMSU because this collaboration aligns with UMSU’s 2030 vision of transforming into a world-class digital university focused on impactful research and innovation,” he stated.
“Almost every day, the first thing people do when searching for information is ask Google. Therefore, Google’s presence at UMSU is something we truly appreciate,” he added.
He explained that UMSU is currently preparing to expand learning access, including the development of distance learning systems as part of modern educational transformation.
“In the future, we plan to provide broader learning access. The development of distance education has become one of UMSU’s priorities, and collaboration with Google aligns perfectly with this objective,” he said.
According to him, UMSU is currently in the acceleration phase toward becoming an internationally recognized university.
“We hope this internationalization agenda can be strengthened through collaboration with Google. We are open to partnerships that can truly contribute to UMSU’s development,” he added.
Program Manager of Google for Education Indonesia Tiffany Santosa explained that Google’s primary focus is supporting digital transformation in education through cloud technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
“What we do at Google revolves around digital transformation and cloud infrastructure. Since UMSU aims to become an international university, we believe collaboration through AI utilization is highly relevant,” she explained.
She added that Google is ready to provide large-scale certified training programs for the UMSU academic community.
“We are prepared to introduce various Google programs and provide AI training for lecturers and up to 20,000 UMSU students,” she stated.
Google also offered support through the development of an AI Research Lab to encourage internationally recognized research initiatives.
Meanwhile, Google Education Specialist Renti Rosmalis expressed hope that the collaboration would go beyond training sessions or the use of Google tools alone.
“We hope this partnership will not only focus on training or tools, but truly help users gain meaningful benefits from Google technology,” she said.
According to her, AI skills are no longer limited to information technology students.
“AI is not only for digital experts. All students, lecturers, and study programs need IT and AI competencies because these skills are highly relevant to today’s industry demands,” Renti explained.
She also introduced several Google education programs, including special education accounts, Gemini Academy, Gemini certification programs for faculties, and AI utilization for educational video and podcast production.
“At present, around 3,000 educators have obtained Gemini certification, and in North Sumatra only one university has joined the program so far,” she added.
Google Cloud Education Lead Sugianto Yoanatan stated that Google’s collaboration with Muhammadiyah and Aisyiyah Higher Education Institutions (PTMA) has actually been established for quite some time.
“Google has maintained a close relationship with PTMA institutions. We are now entering the era of agentic skills, where humans work side by side with AI. The journey toward a digital campus can begin through the utilization of Google Cloud and the strengthening of cybersecurity,” he explained.
Head of BSTI UMSU Yoshida Sary added that UMSU has already begun developing AI-based systems as part of its Intelligent University 2030 vision.
“We have developed UMSU AI integrated with WhatsApp and conducted various training programs. However, we still need support in terms of infrastructure and AI facilities,” he stated.
He also emphasized the importance of collaboration in digital security.
“Cybersecurity has become a crucial necessity for us, and we hope Google can collaborate with us in strengthening these systems,” he concluded.
Also attending the meeting were Dean of FIKTI Al-Khowarizmi and the faculty’s vice deans, Vice Dean I of FISIP Abrar Adhani, the Head of General Affairs Bureau, and the Head of Public Relations and Protocol Bureau.
