The Government will issue a Presidential Regulation and Ministerial Regulation regarding Artificial Intelligence

Indonesia needs to develop, no longer just being a market country, but becoming part of the digital industrial ecosystem.

KOMPAS/MEDIANA

Deputy Minister of Communication and Information Nezar Patria was a speaker at the ThinkThank & Journalism Workshop event on Monday (6/5/2024), in Jakarta.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS —  The government plans to issue presidential regulations and ministerial regulations regarding the governance of artificial intelligence. This plan is expected to be completed before the new government regime changes.

Previously, the government through the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Kemenkominfo) has issued Circular Letter Number 9 of 2023 regarding the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. The issuance date was on December 19, 2023.

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"The preparation for setting regulations equivalent to Minister of Communication and Information Technology (Permenkominfo) or Presidential Regulation (Perpres) concerning the governance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is currently underway. When the draft is completed, we will invite technology industry players and academics, just like the process in Minister of Communication and Information Technology Circular Letter Number 9 of 2023," said Deputy Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Nezar Patria, who was met at the ThinkThank & Journalism Workshop: Accelerating Responsible AI Governance and Innovation with Copilot for Indonesia, on Monday (6/5/2024) in Jakarta."

He said that the Minister of Communication and Information or the Presidential Regulation related to the governance of artificial intelligence is expected to be established before the new government regime takes over. Then, after the regulation is issued, the governance of artificial intelligence will be discussed in the form of a law.

"Of course, the substance of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology regulation or the presidential regulation on artificial intelligence governance will have more binding power on technology industry players compared to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology Circular Letter No. 9 of 2023. The draft includes more detailed definitions and legal provisions for the development and utilization of artificial intelligence," said Nezar.

He claims that at the ASEAN level, Indonesia is already at the forefront because it will issue regulations, rather than guidelines, specifically regulating artificial intelligence.

Executive Director of the Institute for Community Studies and Advocacy (Elsam) Wahyudi Djafar, who was present at the same event, said that countries in the world responded differently in developing artificial intelligence governance. The United States, for example, in October 2023 has issued an Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence which is equivalent to a presidential decree. Then, on December 8 2023, the European Union Parliament approved the AI ​​Act which emphasizes a risk-based approach in the governance of artificial intelligence. A legislative approach like that taken by the European Union Parliament will soon be followed by South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

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Regions or countries that have benefited most from developments in artificial intelligence.

Furthermore, the leaders of the G7 countries have also called for the development and implementation of technical standards to keep artificial intelligence trustworthy and have been launched as an official document on October 30, 2023. The Chinese government has introduced Global AI Governance in opening of the Belt and Road Forum on October 20 2023. The United Nations (UN) has also issued a UN General Assembly resolution on exploiting opportunities for safe, secure and trusted artificial intelligence systems for sustainable development which was adopted on March 21 2024.

According to Wahyudi, there are several artificial intelligence governance substances that must be included in regulations at the level of ministerial regulation and presidential regulation. For example, the general principles of artificial intelligence, industrial development ecosystem, categories of artificial intelligence technology risks, and institutions.

"We feel that the plan to issue a Ministry of Communication and Informatics Regulation or Presidential Regulation related to the governance of artificial intelligence will surely be linked to existing regulations, such as the Electronic Information and Transactions Law and the Personal Data Protection Law," he said.

The Chinese government has introduced Global AI Governance at the opening of the Belt and Road Forum on October 20, 2023.

Furthermore, he continued, the existence of higher regulations from the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology regarding ethical guidelines for artificial intelligence is important because Indonesia needs to develop not only as a market-oriented country, but also as a part of the digital technology industry ecosystem.

"Like the obligation imposed on national companies to train skilled talent in the field of artificial intelligence," said Wahyudi.

From the industry side, Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Microsoft Antony Cook said that recently Microsoft had published an Artificial Intelligence Transparency Report which included detailed practices of what the company had done. do in developing responsible artificial intelligence technology. This is in line with what is expected by many countries, including Indonesia.

Cook also mentioned that the economic opportunity for artificial intelligence in Southeast Asia is around 1 trillion US dollars, while in Indonesia it is around 336 billion US dollars. The opportunity for generative artificial intelligence economics is estimated to enhance higher productivity.

"The use of artificial intelligence not only provides benefits, but also potential risks if not managed properly. And, in my opinion, Indonesia is directing that potential with steps that can still create the appropriate level of trust towards the digital industrial ecosystem," said Cook.

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