Islamic Ethics and Digital Epistemology: The Challenges of AI-Based Knowledge Acquisition among Pesantren Boarding Students

Abstrak

The rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education has reshaped how students acquire both religious and general knowledge. In a pesantren-based Madrasah Aliyah, where students live in dormitories (santri mukim), knowledge acquisition traditionally relies on direct spiritual authority, classical text study (turats), and scholarly ethics (adab). This study aims to analyze the epistemological and ethical challenges arising from AI-based knowledge search tools among boarding students. It also examines how madrasah leadership navigates these digital shifts while preserving pesantren values. A qualitative descriptive case study was conducted at a pesantren-based Madrasah Aliyah in Pekalongan Regency. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with madrasah leaders and teachers, field observations of student study habits, and documentation of digital policy guidelines. The findings indicate that while AI speeds up access to learning materials, it poses challenges to digital epistemology. These include the instant validation of religious texts without proper scholarly lineage (sanad) and the potential erosion of traditional study ethics (adab al-'alim wa al-muta'allim). However, through structured digital ethics policies, students learn to treat AI as a supporting tool without replacing the primary authority of teachers. Integrating AI in a boarding madrasah requires a balance between digital technology and Islamic ethics, ensuring that students remain technologically adaptive while grounded in authentic religious values.