31 October 2025
Nurul Juliani, S.Si
Medan, October 31, 2025 – Adelia Jasmine Efendi, an Applied Bachelor's Degree Program in Public Sector Accounting student, participated in the National Essay Competition themed “AI: Driving Civilization’s Progress or a Barrier?” organized by Pemuda Internasional. Through her work discussing MindGuard, Adel successfully presented innovative ideas about an AI usage monitoring system to maintain the critical thinking processes of AI users.
Her interest began on social media. Curiosity led her to search for more information until she found a content creator who shared information about essays. Although she was pessimistic at first because she had never written an essay before, let alone for a national competition, Adel still dared to try. That courage didn’t come alone, but it was accompanied by her intention and determination.
According to Adel, the theme promoted by Pemuda Internasional is very relevant to her life as a student who is also an active user of AI technology. The three-week journey of designing concepts and conducting research opened her awareness to the positive and negative impacts of AI use in education.
The idea for MindGuard was born from personal experience and her observation of the trend of AI dependency among students. “Sometimes, with AI, we prefer to copy rather than re-examine. In some cases, AI users don't even know what they’re copying. And based on the journals I’ve read, this weakness is commonly experienced by our students,” said Adel.
MinGuard is designed as a web-based and cloud-based digital monitoring system that monitors AI usage activities in real time. This system records usage intensity, questions types, and access duration. This data is analyzed to look for signs of dependence, abuse, or decline in critical thinking skills. This system even provides personalized learning recommendations.
“MindGuard collects data → monitors → analyzes → alerts → presents reports, and then AI users can take action,” explained Adel. This system is not overly complicated, but it has significant academic, social, and technological value. As a digital generation, Adel wants to encourage students to use AI in a healthy and responsible manner. “I want to encourage my friends to use AI as a bridge to greater creativity. AI is a tool, not a substitute for the way we think. We are the ones who determine whether AI will be a stepping stone or a stumbling block.”
This victory brought a special sense of pride to Adel. Not just because of the title, but also her courage to start. “The strongest feeling is pride in myself. Not just for winning, but because I dared to try something that was clearly new to me. Now I'm even more excited to participate in other competitions.”
Through this competition, Adel's perspective on the world of education has broadened. AI opens up learning opportunities, but it can also lead us to lose sight of the essence of learning. Many people rely on instant answers. However, learning is a process, not an instant result. She hopes that students will become a technologically savvy generation who know when to use AI and when to think for themselves. For educators and academics, Adel hopes that there will be more room for discussion and policies that guide the ethical and purposeful use of AI.
Adel's achievement proves that vocational students are not only excellent in practice, but also capable of innovating and identifying educational issues relevant to technological developments. This experience shows that innovation can arise from the courage to try, sensitivity to real problems, and the willingness to continue learning. MindGuard presents a fresh idea that shows how students can be part of the solution in the digital age.
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