WNAM REPORT: The Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) emphasized the importance of integrating ethics and inclusivity into artificial intelligence (AI) governance.
At the UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Bangkok, Thailand, Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital, Nezar Patria, affirmed Indonesia’s position as a developing nation actively transforming AI ethics and inclusivity principles into a concrete regulatory framework.
“Indonesia has integrated UNESCO’s AI ethics and inclusivity principles into real policy formulation and governance,” Patria noted in a statement received here, Wednesday.
The deputy minister highlighted that Indonesia not only normatively supports the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI (2021) but has also taken several substantive and measurable steps to implement it at the national level.
The integration includes national AI strategy development to be followed by the issuance of AI regulations in the near future.
Patria detailed the integration steps taken, including the development of an Ethics-based Artificial Intelligence Roadmap, which is now entering the final preparation stage by involving stakeholders and the completion of the National AI Readiness Assessment (AI-RAM), which is used to map the potential and challenges of AI development across various sectors.
The ministry has also issued a Ministerial Circular on AI Ethics to serve as an initial, interim reference for the industry and public sector. Additionally, the ministry is leveraging existing national legal frameworks, such as the PDP Law and ITE Law, as legal pillars for data protection and ethics of AI-based information processing.
At the forum, Patria highlighted three main challenges faced by developing countries in AI governance: balancing regulation and innovation, limited digital talent, and disparities in infrastructure and technical standards between regions.
To that end, he reiterated the importance of collaboration among southern countries to address shared challenges.
“For Indonesia, international cooperation, particularly with the Global South, is not merely about sharing technology, but, more fundamentally, about sharing responsibility for ethical and inclusive AI. We must also ensure that no country is left behind in the transformative AI transition,” Patria stated.
The inter-ministerial dialog forum is part of a series of UNESCO agendas taking place on June 24-27 in Bangkok.
This forum brings together world leaders, AI experts, industry representatives, and academics to review the progress of AI governance in their respective countries since the issuance of the 2021 UNESCO Recommendation on AI Ethics, which has been adopted by over 194 countries.
