Every time we try to log into a website and are asked, “Are you human?”, we often catch ourselves. Not because we are unsure of the answer, but because the question itself is jarring. What does it mean when we are constantly asked to prove our humanity to machines we created?

This unease is not paranoia. It is a natural response to a world changing faster than we can make sense of. As artificial intelligence becomes more embedded in our daily lives, from how we access healthcare to how we learn and work, it also raises urgent questions about equity, agency and the role of human values in shaping our digital future. 

Is the promise of AI real? How is it shaping the future of work?  What is it doing to our sense of agency? Who gets to shape it? Who is being left behind?

At a recent dialogue hosted by UNDP, the National Development Planning Ministry/Bappenas and the National Economic Council, we explored these questions through the lens of human development. While we left the conversation more hopeful than we began, we also left with a deeper conviction: Indonesia cannot afford to be a passive consumer of AI. We must be proactive, intentional shapers of it, and ensure it is inclusive by design.

The promise of AI is real, but so are the risks. From girls in rural China who, for the first time, can join AI-powered coding bootcamps and dream of careers in technology, to communities in Kiribati where portable X-ray machines equipped with artificial intelligence are enabling faster, life-saving diagnoses of tuberculosis in remote areas, digital innovation is already opening doors where none existed. 

Closer to home, Indonesia’s own Satu Sehat platform shows what happens when we innovate with intent. Jointly developed with UNDP, the Health Ministry’s Satu Sehat links more than 12,000 hospitals, clinics and community health centers (Puskesmas) across the archipelago. 

It tracks every vaccine dose in real time, from warehouse dispatch to village cold-box, alerting staff when temperatures spike or stocks run low and cutting waste that once cost lives. 

But this is not the whole story. We also know that AI, when left unchecked, can reinforce the very inequalities we are trying to solve. Its architecture is still being built by a handful of countries and companies. If Indonesia does not step in, not just as users but as contributors to AI’s design and governance, we risk embedding biases into our future.

As AI reshapes societies and economies at breakneck speed, how is human development keeping pace? Every two years, UNDP’s flagship Human Development Report brings a new lens to the core question: how do we expand people’s choices and freedoms? This year’s focus on AI is not just timely, it is necessary. Because development is not just about income or infrastructure but also about dignity, agency and meaning. 

UNDP’s AI and Human Development Survey, conducted across 21 countries including Indonesia, reflect growing optimism, particularly in developing countries. Globally, six in 10 respondents expect to use AI in the next year, rising to seven in 10 across low and medium human development countries. 

These expectations signal both the urgency and the opportunity of ensuring that AI advances human development, not just technological progress. 

However, as AI becomes more integrated into daily life, many, especially in very high HDI countries, worry that it may diminish their sense of agency, raising the question: will AI be a tool for empowerment, or a threat to our autonomy? 

These sentiments were echoed by Indonesians across all walks of life interviewed by UNDP Indonesia. Some were optimistic, others less certain. Many admitted they do not know what to expect. Overall, people recognize the benefits of technology but remain concerned about dependency and how it might transform the future of work. 

Unlike past technological revolutions, AI is not just changing how we work, but reimagining what work means. Automation, machine learning and intelligent systems are rapidly transforming job markets, creating new roles while rendering others obsolete. The future of work is no longer about competing with machines but learning to collaborate with them, a shift that demands not just technical skills, but adaptability and continuous learning. 

In Indonesia, the government recognizes that AI is not just a technological tool, it is also a social and political one that can unite or divide. As the fourth most populous country in the world, our approach to AI must be inclusive and grounded in national values and local realities. 

Expanding and strengthening the digital infrastructure, security and ecosystem as well as optimizing AI use for public sectors are among government’s priorities in the next five years. It is clear that AI use cases need to be human centered.

AI governance requires investing heavily in digital public infrastructure, bridging the digital divide, expanding access to digital skills and embedding ethics in design. 

So, what does “inclusive by design” look like? 

It is about making sure AI serves the needs of 280 million Indonesians, not just the few cities nor elites. It looks like platforms such as SP4N LAPOR that reflect the voices of people from Sulawesi and Papua to Kalimantan and Sumatra, not just Jakarta. It means regulation that is inclusive and enforceable without stifling innovation. It also requires sandboxing for the use of AI in public sectors, universities, business and communities.

Governments, development partners, industry, academia, civil society and users all have a role. Building AI is not the job of the private sector alone. It is a team sport. Especially in Indonesia, where diversity is the country’s strength, participation must be deliberate and ambitious. The future cannot be designed in someone else’s language, let alone by someone else’s algorithm.

As we mark International AI Day this week, it is a timely reminder that if Indonesia is to achieve Indonesia Emas 2045, it must move beyond hype and fear. Indonesia needs clear policies, digital inclusion, investments in education and ethics and open forums for public participation. 

AI is not the first disruption we have faced, nor will it be the last, but the speed of change today is unprecedented. 

History shows that progress depends not on technology alone, but on the policies that guide it, those that are inclusive, intentional and adaptive. It also relies on institutions that can evolve and partnerships that ensure AI benefits everyone, not just a few.

---

Vivi Yulaswati is the deputy National Development Planning Agency Minister, and Sujala Pant is deputy resident representative of UNDP Indonesia.