mpowering Indonesians through digital and technological advancement is becoming increasingly crucial as the country aims to achieve its Golden Indonesia 2045 vision, with digital telecommunication company Indosat Ooredoo Hutchinson committed to driving Indonesia’s transition toward AI sovereignty.
Currently, Indonesia is experiencing a shortage of digital talents, which potentially affects long-term innovation-based economic growth. The persisting digital divide in Indonesia is largely attributable to the country’s complex and varied geographic landscape with over 6,000 inhabited islands across what is the world’s largest archipelago, making it difficult to connect individuals residing in remote regions with terrestrial network infrastructure.
Therefore, bridging the gap in Indonesia’s digital development and achieving equitable digital access is paramount to enable all Indonesians to adopt AI.
Indonesia AI Day, an event organized by Indosat Ooredoo Hutchinson in Jakarta on Nov.14, revealed how empowerment initiatives were underway to resolve pressing human challenges and gave assurance as to how AI development bode well for Indonesia’s economy in the future.
The historic event, themed “Unleashing Indonesian AI Sovereignty” ensured that with the spirit of gotong royong (mutual cooperation), Indonesia would be able to solve AI-related development problems so as to enable every Indonesian to harness the opportunities that AI offers, while at the same time ensuring that no one is left behind, setting the path toward 2045 when Indonesia’s dream to become a developed country could be realized.
According to Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison’s president director and CEO Vikram Sinha, AI sovereignty means that AI is developed in Indonesia, for Indonesia and, most importantly by Indonesians. “Our purpose is clear: empowering Indonesia through digital and technological advancement,” Vikram said. “Leading in AI isn’t just about adopting new technologies, it’s about shaping Indonesia’s future on its own terms.”
In the context of empowering and achieving Indonesian AI sovereignty, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchinson, in collaboration with GoTo has created Sahabat-AI, an open-source Large Language Model (LLM) ecosystem specifically designed for Bahasa Indonesia and its local languages.
This groundbreaking project, launched during the AI Day event, is a significant step forward in advancing Indonesia’s digital sovereignty, preserving its linguistic heritage and unlocking new pathways for socio-economic growth and innovation.
Sahabat-AI is a collective effort to empower Indonesia with a locally developed open-source LLM ecosystem. Created by Indonesians, for Indonesians, it aligns with the Golden Indonesia 2045 vision, supporting national leadership in technology and infrastructure.
Due to its understanding of local context, Sahabat-AI will enable Indonesians to build AI-based services and applications in Bahasa Indonesia and various local languages, addressing a gap left by other global AI models.
Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka pointed out that Indonesia, as a large nation with aspirations to achieve the Golden Indonesia vision by 2045, possessed “a crucial asset that must be managed very well, namely its human resources, which will reach the peak of a demographic surplus in the 2030s.”
“The capability of superior human resources will be a key determinant of the nation’s progress, especially in this era of rapid technological disruptions, one of which includes AI. The government remains committed to enhancing the readiness of human resources and creating an ecosystem that empowers the younger generation to innovate, modify and develop technology, including AI-based advancements across economic, social, cultural and linguistic domains," the Vice President continued.
Inclusivity
Meanwhile, Vikram stated, “Sahabat-AI is not just a technological achievement, it embodies Indonesia’s vision for a future where digital sovereignty and inclusivity go hand in hand. By creating an AI model that speaks our language and reflects our culture, we empower every Indonesian to harness advanced technology's potential. This initiative is a crucial step toward democratizing AI as a tool for growth, innovation and empowerment across our diverse society.”
“At the heart of Sahabat-AI is a commitment to inclusivity. The model is designed to enable Indonesians from private, public and educational sectors to interact with advanced AI technology in their native language. By bridging the digital divide in this way, Sahabat-AI not only fosters digital literacy in Indonesia, but also accelerates growth across key sectors,” Vikram continued.
GoTo CEO Patrick Walujo pointed out, “Our vision for Sahabat-AI is to put the power of AI into the hands of everyone in Indonesia. By operating in Bahasa Indonesia, Sahabat-AI addresses critical context and cultural reference gaps left by the global large language models. It will help our businesses to communicate in new ways with customers, it will help our government ministries develop tools to engage with citizens more comprehensively and it will drive meaningful change for millions of people across the country.”
“However, the only way to realize this vision is with the support of others. This is why we are inviting stakeholders from all sectors to join the development of this important open-source LLM ecosystem as we aim to drive the country forward together,” Patrick continued.
NVIDIA Founder and CEO Jensen Huang said, “As Indonesia moves toward its Golden Indonesia 2045 vision, initiatives like Sahabat-AI play a pivotal role in positioning the nation as a leader in AI innovation. The project demonstrates Indonesia's sovereign AI capabilities, paving the way for future developments and boosting its influence in the global AI landscape.”
Indosat’s endeavor to empower Indonesia through digital transformation is aligned with the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (Stratnas KA) which the government rolled out in 2020 to addresses the issue of a lack of skilled talent, among other things.
The 2020-2045 Stratnas KA aims to enhance AI usage in the public sector, ensuring Indonesia is not left behind in the AI race.
The government’s commitment to AI development has been reaffirmed by establishing the Indonesian AI Industry Research and Innovation Collaboration (KORIKA), which encourages collaboration between different stakeholders to develop AI and cope with AI-related concerns.
The Stratnas KA, which provides national guidelines for the government in developing AI between 2020 and 2045, notes that the development of AI in Indonesia should take into account the Golden Indonesia 2045 vision while addressing four pillars: Human development and the acquisition of science and technology (IPTEK), sustainable economic development, equitable development and the strengthening of national defense and governance. Specifically, AI should prioritize food resilience and governance.
The Stratnas KA sets health, government services, education, food security, mobility and smart cities as priority sectors for AI implementation.
Under the Stratnas KA, AI development and adoption should be in harmony with national interests and hold ethical responsibility, the values of which are based on Pancasila, Indonesia’s way of life.
Four years after the launch of the Stratnas KA, AI continues to develop as it provides solutions for various sectors. Machine learning has not only been adopted in the manufacturing sector with its Industry 4.0, but also in logistics, human resources development (HRD), education, cyber security, customer service and other sectors. The application of AI can enhance operational efficiency and enable businesses to provide AI products that boost client productivity.
The wide use of AI in Indonesia has brought positive impacts to the digital economy.
According to the Empowering Indonesia 2024 report, published jointly by Indosat and research firm Twimbit, projections suggest that Indonesia’s digital economy will reach Rp 1,862 trillion (US$117.11 million) by 2027.
“Undoubtedly, AI will play a crucial role in enabling the digital economy as well as accelerating our transition toward developed nation status. With early AI adoption, Indonesia could boost labor productivity and potentially accelerate gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 6.9 percent annually, escaping the middle-income trap by 2038 and realizing the Golden Indonesia 2045 vision,” the report noted.
AI's contribution to the Indonesian economy is expected to reach $366 billion by 2030. Therefore, as Indonesia AI Day has revealed, creating a robust AI ecosystem by aligning policy to upskill / reskill the labor force and creating new AI jobs is crucial to bolstering the nation’s economic transformation.
This article is published in collaboration with Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison
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