Saturday, March 15, 2025, marked a significant milestone for Indonesia’s artificial intelligence ecosystem. Indonesia AI Institute (IAII) was officially launched through a public webinar entitled “AI for Women: Creating Greater Opportunities and Working More Efficiently.”
The choice of theme was deliberate, as the launch coincided with Women’s March celebrations, reinforcing IAII’s commitment to promoting gender-inclusive digital transformation from its very first day.
The establishment of IAII received positive support from the Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs, Meutya Hafid, who described it as a strategic step toward building an inclusive, innovative, and globally competitive AI ecosystem in Indonesia. In her remarks, Minister Meutya emphasized that AI has become an integral part of everyday life, from industrial automation to personalized digital services.
The webinar featured speakers from diverse professional backgrounds:
- Ulziisuren Jamsran (UN Women Representative for Indonesia and ASEAN Liaison)
- Josefhine Chitra (Head of Corporate Communication, GoTo)
- Tessi Fathia Adam (Group Head of Digital Transformation, ParagonCorp)
- Haryati Lawidjaja (EVP – Head of Fintech, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison)
Challenge: The Gender Digital Divide
One of the key issues highlighted during the webinar was the potential impact of automation on jobs, particularly occupations traditionally dominated by women. Without appropriate policy interventions, the digital gender gap could continue to widen.
Ulziisuren Jamsran from UN Women noted that although internet connectivity among women continues to increase, only 20% of women in low-income countries are currently connected online. She also pointed out that Indonesia ranks 46th out of 62 countries in the Global AI Index 2023, highlighting the urgent need for sustained investment in digital infrastructure.
Opportunity: AI as a Catalyst for Equality
At the same time, speakers agreed that AI has tremendous potential to accelerate gender equality when utilized appropriately. Josefhine Chitra from GoTo emphasized how AI can significantly reduce time spent on routine tasks, enabling women to focus on higher-value work.
IAII Programs and Innovations
Since its establishment, IAII has prepared several concrete initiatives:
- AI Teaching Tools – An AI-powered solution designed to help teachers create lesson plans tailored to local contexts. The program has already been piloted through AI Literacy for Teachers training sessions and has received positive feedback from educators.
- Sentiment Analysis Research – Led by Dr. Ayu Purwarianti, this research focuses on sentiment analysis in the economic and financial sectors to support more accurate data-driven decision-making.
- AI and Mixed Reality (MR) for Education – IAII is developing educational technology that combines AI with Mixed Reality, initially aimed at strengthening national values through Indonesian history education, with future applications in industry and tourism.
AI and Indonesia’s Economic Future
The following figures highlight the importance of preparing Indonesia for the AI era:
- AI is projected to contribute between 2.83% and 3.67% of Indonesia’s GDP by 2030.
- This contribution is estimated to reach USD 366 billion.
- Indonesia currently ranks 46th out of 62 countries in the Global AI Index 2023.