The Ministry of Communication and Digital has mapped out strategic steps to address the gap in artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities amid the high rate of adoption of this technology in society.
Steps to address the skills gap are aimed at ensuring that AI utilization does not stop at basic applications, but can drive transformation in the education, healthcare, financial services, and government sectors.
"Adoption alone may not be enough, and using AI alone is not enough. Developing the capability to use it is crucial," said Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Nezar Patria in a discussion forum titled "Closing the AI Capability Gap in Indonesia".
As quoted in a ministry statement confirmed on Thursday, Nezar said that Indonesia is currently among the countries with the highest AI adoption rates in the world.
Indonesia is among the top five in the world for ChatGPT usage for coding and data analysis as well as education, and nearly half of its workforce uses AI on a weekly basis.
However, this high adoption rate has not been matched by the ability to leverage AI in depth, both by individuals and businesses.
Nezar stated that currently the biggest challenge is no longer access to technology, but rather the quality of its use.
According to him, the gap in technological mastery is evident, among other things, in the still wide gap between the most advanced AI users and the average user and the uneven level of AI utilization in the business sector.
While most businesses still use AI for basic operational needs, only a small number have leveraged it to transform their business models.
In addition, millions of micro, small, and medium enterprises are not yet fully integrated into the digital ecosystem and are not yet ready to optimally utilize AI.
"We cannot build an AI house or AI home on a foundation that has never even been digitized," Nezar said.
To address these challenges, the government is striving to strengthen the foundations of AI development by drafting regulations on the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, the National AI Roadmap, and the National AI Ethics.
According to Nezar, these policies will serve as a foundation to ensure that AI development proceeds safely, in a targeted manner, and provides benefits to society.
"We need a clear and robust AI development framework with careful planning," he said.
