02 June 2025
Anonymous Writer
Public Relations FH-USU: Monday, (June 2, 2025), the Faculty of Law, Universitas Sumatera Utara (FH USU) officially launched the Hukumonline Corner, a digital facility offering technology-based legal research services. This collaboration marks a significant milestone for FH USU, as it becomes the first university in North Sumatra to have a Hukumonline Corner, already established in over 40 law schools across Indonesia.
In his remarks, Dean of FH USU, Dr. Mahmul Siregar, S.H., M.Hum, stated that the presence of this facility is part of a collective effort to strengthen academic capacity, both for students and faculty members. According to him, the Hukumonline Corner is a tool that can assist academic staff in accessing credible legal references and conducting research more effectively, especially with the support of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. “What's important is that this can help us unleash our academic potential and simplify our work,” Mahmul said during the inauguration held in the Faculty Advisory Board (DPF) room at FH USU.
The Dean emphasized that technology is merely a tool. Dr. Mahmul reminded everyone that AI, no matter how creative or advanced it may be, will not replace the importance of reading, analyzing, and conducting in-depth research. "Once again, remember that this is an instrument. It is a tool; it will not replace the essence of our work. We must still read. Whatever AI we have read will not be used blindly. We must still conduct our own research. This is an instrument to help us analyze, to help us do our work," he added.
The Dean hopes that the existence of the Hukumonline Corner will benefit students and serve as a useful tool for faculty members in fulfilling their academic duties. "Hopefully, this can help us all—not only the students but especially us faculty members. This can also be useful for helping us carry out our three pillars," said Dr. Mahmul.
Meanwhile, Chief Media and Engagement of Hukumonline, Amrie Hakim, stated that the Hukumonline Corner is a form of Hukumonline's contribution to supporting legal education in Indonesia. The Hukumonline Corner is equipped with AI technology called AIlex, a system designed to assist legal research activities more quickly and efficiently. The legal articles available on this platform have been professionally curated, and their use still prioritizes the principle of caution.
“Hukumonline's AI is named AIlex. You can try it yourselves later. However, the results generated by AIlex still need to be double-checked. Therefore, a disclaimer states that while AIlex's answers may be accurate, they still need to be verified,” he explained during the same event.
In addition to representing Hukumonline, Amrie also served as a Guest Lecturer, sharing critical insights on the development of AI technology and its impact on the media industry. In his presentation, he emphasized that the current phenomena in the media world are part of global changes that influence the entire information distribution pattern.
Amrie explained that AI technology has three significant impacts on the media industry. The first impact is a sharp decline in visits or traffic to news portals. According to him, this change is evident in how modern search engines, such as Google and other generative AI platforms, operate.
“If we understand now, Google, which used to directly display links to news portals when we searched for information, no longer does so. Now Google directly displays summaries or answers, and users feel satisfied there, no longer needing to click on links. Similarly, when we use AI like ChatGPT, we directly get the answers. We no longer have to navigate through media portal pages,” he explained.
He said this situation has been studied in a report released by the content licensing platform TollBit on February 24, 2024. The study shows that AI developed by OpenAI has reduced visits to news portals by up to 96 percent.
“This is extreme. Nearly 100 percent of visits to news portals have decreased because the answers or analysis we usually look for in the media can now be obtained directly from AI. This hits the foundation of digital media,” he said.
The second significant impact is on media's business model, particularly those reliant on advertising revenue. The decline in traffic has made the potential for advertising revenue extremely small, and in some cases, it could disappear entirely. This poses a real threat to the survival of many media outlets, especially those that have not developed subscription systems or other monetization strategies.
Thirdly, there is concern that large technology companies are using content from writers, journalists, and creators without permission or adequate compensation to train their AI models. This practice violates intellectual property rights and financially harms content creators by diverting traffic and revenue from their platforms.
Amrie explained that Hukumonline has long implemented a paid or subscription-based content system in response to these challenges. With this approach, Hukumonline has achieved greater financial independence and continued innovating, including by launching its own AI platform, AIlex.
“We have been around for nearly 25 years. From the very beginning, we started with a subscription-based content system. One of our latest innovations is AIlex. Everyone should maximize this, as not all law schools in Indonesia have access to this facility,” he emphasized.
Amrie continued, AIlex is an AI-based digital assistant that can help users navigate regulations, understand legal contexts, and efficiently find relevant legal information. The platform is designed as a tool for legal research, particularly for quickly and accurately searching through regulations and other legal documents.
“AIlex can be an invaluable assistant, especially for students and lecturers. It can navigate the complexity of regulations and help find the legal information needed. But it must be remembered that AI is not a substitute for human understanding,” he emphasized.
Although AI technology offers speed and convenience, Amrie emphasized the importance of upholding core values in journalism and law. He reminded us that technology must be used ethically and should not overlook accuracy and principles of justice.
Furthermore, he hopes that the presence of the Hukumonline Corner can strengthen the achievement of the vision and mission of the Faculty of Law, Universitas Sumatera Utara (FH USU) as a competent, ethical, and globally competitive legal education institution.
“With the availability of the Hukumonline Corner at FH USU, we hope that Hukumonline can contribute to achieving the faculty's vision and mission, which is to produce law graduates who are agents of change and possess academic competence, with exceptional references and competitiveness,” said Amrie.
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