The Indonesian government underscored the country’s potential for artificial intelligence (AI) development as the need for digitalization grows across sectors (1/12).

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said Indonesia has a strong opportunity because the nation holds extensive data, especially in healthcare.

“For AI, Google recently conducted a survey. Indonesia only has 25 AI startups, ranking number four. Compare that with Singapore, which already has almost 300 AI startups,” Airlangga said during the 2025 Kadin National Leadership Meeting on Monday (1/12).

He noted that the difference in numbers still provides room for local technology players to strengthen domestic innovation.

National Health Data Seen as Key Driver for AI Innovation

Airlangga said Indonesia’s advantage comes from the availability of large data sets that can help accelerate AI development.

He highlighted that BPJS Health data, now covering more than 100 million participants, could serve as a core source for building AI-based health services and supporting research in digital health.

Global Figures Show Interest in Indonesia’s Health Data

According to Airlangga, international support for the use of Indonesia’s health data is starting to emerge.

He said several global figures are paying attention to opportunities for data-based research.

“Bill Gates also supports research for TB vaccines based on existing health data in Indonesia,” he stated.

The government hopes that collaboration between the public sector, industry players, and the startup ecosystem will speed up AI use in Indonesia and improve public services, especially in health.

Government Moves to Rebuild Investor Confidence After Fraud Cases

Separately, Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs (Menkomdigi) Meutya Hafid is focusing on restoring investor trust in Indonesian startups after several major cases shook the digital ecosystem.

MDI Ventures, Telkom’s venture capital arm, was recently involved in a legal case after its directors committed wrongdoing in investing in the agritech startup TaniHub. The ecosystem had already been unsettled earlier by a fraud case at unicorn e-Fishery, which falsified its financial reports.

“We know there are fraud cases; the numbers are actually not many, but this hit the digital ecosystem quite hard in Indonesia because the confidence level dropped,” Meutya said during the Tech in Asia Conference in Jakarta, Wednesday (22/10).

PHOTO: RRI/ANTARA/MENTARI DWI GAYATI

This article was created with AI assistance.