August 30, 2026 | 02:00 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Nezar Patria says workers in Indonesia must understand artificial intelligence (AI) technology related to their jobs to navigate the changing dynamics of work in the digital era.
"This dilemma is real, because the rapid advancement of generative AI has changed the way we work, make decisions, and serve the public," Patria said in a statement received on Saturday, August 29, 2026.
Patria said the need for workers to prepare for and understand AI in their jobs is urgent. Referring to a report by the International Labour Organization (ILO), he noted that nearly one in four workers in the ASEAN region hold jobs exposed to generative AI.
The impact of AI adoption is also no longer limited to employment but could affect state revenue and fiscal structure.
"For the Indonesian government, this finding is not just an academic topic," he pointed out.
Therefore, he explained, the government cannot wait for AI's impact before acting. Policy must instead strengthen the government's capacity to understand, manage, and utilize the technology from the beginning.
This approach is important so the AI transformation can be managed before causing broader impacts on the workforce and the economy, he added.
In the context of governance, the deputy minister emphasized that upskilling and reskilling civil servants (ASN) is an urgent need. Civil servants involved in formulating labor, taxation, digital economy, and digital governance policies need to understand how AI works, its impacts, and its potential risks.
"Skills upgrading and retraining are no longer optional," he stressed.
Patria expressed hope that strengthening government competency could be oriented toward long-term readiness, including through AI literacy, policy analysis skills, and data-based decision-making.
With such capacity, civil servants are expected to become drivers of digital government transformation while helping build a resilient and inclusive national workforce for the AI era.
Moreover, he said, government readiness to face AI implementation also needs to be supported by strong governance and cross-sector coordination.
"The government must act as a knowledgeable regulator, not a reactive one," Patria noted.
Read: Why Nepal Asks Meta, TikTok to Remove AI Content on Flash Floods
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