Ministry of Communication and Information Technology Encourages Public Communication Actors to Adopt AI Technology

Jakarta, INTI - Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology presents an opportunity for the development of the public communication sector. Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Budi Arie Setiadi, stated that adopting AI technology enables more effective implementation of public communication through chatbot applications or virtual assistants.

"In the 2021 OECD Report, several principles of public communication were outlined, one of which involves utilizing digital data technology and AI for effective public communication," he said during the Road To World Public Relations Forum 2024 in South Jakarta on Tuesday (23/04/2024).

Minister Budi Arie cited the use of AI in the public communication sector, exemplified by India's AskDISHJA 2.0, a chatbot application provided by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation.

"The service is provided to address inquiries regarding railway services. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, a similar Chatbot service is provided by the Ministry of Finance, offering information and assistance regarding taxation 24/7," he revealed.

The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology reminds public communication actors to have strategies in adapting to AI technology. According to him, the rapid development of AI and various disruptions it causes require the development of human and organizational resource capacities.

"At the regional level, ASEAN has guidelines. Meanwhile, at the national level, several public agencies and private sectors have utilized artificial intelligence to enhance work effectiveness," he explained, while indicating the existence of Circular Letter of the Minister of Communication and Information Technology Number 9 of 2023 concerning Artificial Intelligence Ethics. Signed on December 19, 2023, the circular letter includes three policies: ethical values, implementation of ethical values, and responsibilities in the utilization and development of artificial intelligence.

Minister Budi Arie emphasizes that the utilization of technology needs to consider three elements: safety, ethics, and trustworthiness.

"Of these three elements, ethics regulation has been established, while security and mutual trust have not. We will continue to seriously observe further developments," he concluded.

For application in public communication, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology states that in various stages of public communication formulation, identifying the right target tools is necessary. According to him, public communication actors need to consider the risks and ethical implications of utilizing AI technology holistically.

"Where the specific use of AI and consideration of AI ethics and human dimension are concerned, it involves aspects of organization, periodic evaluation of internal organizational systems, and adherence to national and global regulatory developments," he explained.

In the event, Minister of Communication and Information Technology Budi Arie Setiadi was accompanied by the Director-General of Information and Public Communication of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Usman Kansong, the Director of Informatics Empowerment of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Slamet Santoso, and Special Staff Sugiharto.

Also present were Special Staff III of the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Arya Mahendra Sinulingga, CEO and Co-founder of Katadata Ade Wahyudi, and Chairman of Perhumas Boy Kelana.