RRI.CO.ID, Malang - Blending indigenous knowledge with modern technology, students of Universitas Brawijaya’s Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) have developed Sikerei AI, an innovation designed to educate communities on disaster mitigation through cultural values.

The project, inspired by the traditions of the Mentawai people in West Sumatra, has drawn international recognition, earning three awards at the 4th International Youth Conference 2026 held on June 27–28.

The team--Rachel Laurent and David Luwis Tarigan from Political Science, alongside Bintang Corvi Diphda and Putri Alyaa Safira from International Relations--secured a Gold Medal, 2nd Runner-Up, and Best Presentation for their groundbreaking work.

David explained that the name “Sikerei” comes from the Mentawai term for traditional healers and spiritual leaders who embody the community’s relationship with nature.

“We found that Mentawai culture contains values about how humans coexist with the environment, and Sikerei plays a central role in guiding that wisdom,” he said, as quoted on the university's official website.

Bintang added that Sikerei AI integrates these cultural insights into disaster education, offering a fresh approach that has rarely been applied in mitigation efforts.

“The values we learned from Sikerei show that indigenous communities have long had their own ways of facing natural disasters. We used those values as the foundation for our AI,” she noted.

Although their faculty does not specialize in artificial intelligence, Putri acknowledged the challenge of mastering the technology. “At first, our lack of technical knowledge was a hurdle. But it became the reason we pushed ourselves harder,” she said.

Rachel expressed pride in the team’s achievement. “We are proud, relieved, and deeply satisfied with what we accomplished through Sikerei AI. Proud to represent UB, and relieved to have overcome the immense pressure of competing internationally,” she said.

By merging cultural heritage with cutting-edge innovation, Sikerei AI not only earned accolades abroad but also showcased how local wisdom can inspire modern solutions to global challenges. ***