The ‘Unlocking Chatbots & Secrets: The Wayang Purwo Mystery Game’ workshop combined interactive learning with cultural elements, empowering teachers, and students to incorporate technology into their lessons while preparing students for the future by providing hands-on experience with AI and cultural heritage.

Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation’s (APU) School of Computing (SoC) recently hosted an engaging workshop designed to introduce Indonesian school students to the wonders of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

34 enthusiastic students and four teachers from SMA Batik 1 Surakarta, Indonesia participated in the ‘Unlocking Chatbots & Secrets: The Wayang Purwo Mystery Game’ workshop. 

Assoc Prof Ts Dr Vinothini Kasinathan, Ms Nur Amira Abdul Majid, Dr Lai Ngan Kuen, and Ms Tham Hoong Ching combined interactive learning of Natural Language Processing (NLP) with cultural elements of traditional Wayang Purwo characters, making the learning process more engaging and enjoyable.

Students were introduced to the world of chatbots through engaging real-time conversations with well-known AI bots, gaining a deeper understanding of how machines can process human language in a way similar to popular virtual assistants like Siri and Google Assistant. 

They then embarked on a thrilling mystery-solving game, the Wayang Purwo Mystery Game, which involved deciphering clues hidden in binary numbers and encoded behind shadow puppets like Rama, Sita, Ravana, Hanuman, and Lakshmana.

The game not only tested their critical thinking skills but also allowed them to explore APU’s state-of-the-art facilities while solving riddles and piecing together clues to uncover the identity of APotic ― APU’s intelligent robot.
 

“The workshop also empowered teachers to incorporate technology and cultural elements into their lessons,” said Dr Vinothini, representing SoC.

“The combination of traditional Wayang Kulit stories and AI-powered chatbots provided a perfect example of how digital tools can make learning both interactive and culturally enriching.

“We wanted the students to see that AI is not something abstract or out of reach. It is part of our everyday lives, and with tools like chatbots, they can blend technology with cultural heritage.”

This workshop is just one of APU’s many initiatives aimed at giving back to society. By providing students with hands-on experience in AI and blending it with cultural heritage, APU is preparing them for a future where technology and tradition intersect.