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Ramp up R&D investment to compete, urges Indonesian AI expert in Dubai
RoboTechX Lab founder Judhi Prasetyo says that research and development is where Indonesia's once-thriving tech industry is falling flat, warning that not doing so risks the country losing its competitive edge and failing its up-and-coming talent.
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Judhi Prasetyo, senior lecturer and founder of RoboTechX Lab at Middlesex University, poses during a photo op on Oct. 15 on the sidelines of the Gitex Global 2024 technology exhibition in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. (JP/Ruth Dea Juwita)
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n Indonesian artificial intelligence professor working in Dubai has a message for home: The country should drive research and development (R&D) or risk stagnating as a consumer country, which could undermine its competitiveness in attracting investment.
“Indonesia has always been a large market, but it hasn’t transitioned into being a producer,” Judhi Prasetyo said on Tuesday in Dubai, where the senior lecturer and founder of RoboTechX Lab at Middlesex University was attending the Gitex Global 2024 technology exhibition.
While Southeast Asia’s biggest economy had immense potential for technological advancement, Judhi warned the country risked losing its competitive edge without a significant mindset change and a stronger commitment to R&D.
“[Indonesia] still imports things we could have made ourselves, like rice and even airplanes. It’s a mindset problem as much as it’s an infrastructure problem,” he said, recalling that the country once was an airplane producer and exporter in the 1990s.
The country was also once deemed a prominent leader in Southeast Asia’s start-up scene but its status had begun to wane in the past few years, Judhi observed, pointing to its early success in e-commerce and digital platforms had devolved into stagnation.
Middle Eastern countries had meanwhile surged ahead, as their governments had been investing heavily in tech innovation for the past few years.
“Dubai used to be just a business hub, focused on bringing in direct investment. But now, its government has been supporting local start-ups and innovation,” he said.
