Finally, President Jokowi signed Presidential Decree Number 32 of 2024 concerning the Responsibility of Digital Platform Companies to Support Quality Journalism or better known as Publisher Rights at the peak of the commemoration of National Press Day (HPN). The next step, said Deputy Minister of Communication and Information Nezar Patria, is that the Press Council has the authority to form a committee that will act like a referee. If a dispute occurs between the press media and digital platforms, the committee will resolve it.

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Discussions about Publisher Rights actually started three years ago. "Thank God, it was signed by President Jokowi on February 20 2024. Why did it take so long because there are many stakeholders and they are in a large ecosystem, the discussion is rather complex," said Nezar Patria.

Indeed, this Presidential Decree, continued Nezar Patria, does not require derivative regulations. In accordance with the mandate of the Presidential Decree, the Press Council will form a committee. This committee will act as a referee if there is a dispute between press media collaborating B2B (business to business) with digital platforms.

There are ten members of this committee. Five people from the Press Council and five others from independent experts selected by the office of the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs. "Those from the Press Council must not be affiliated with any press company or digital platform," stressed Nezar.

To press companies who were still curious, he suggested asking and consulting with the Press Council. How to collaborate with digital platforms to ensure the principles of justice and fairness. "The important thing is that collaboration is mutually beneficial and fair," he continued.

Apart from the issue of Publisher Rights, Nezar Patria also discussed the issue of Artificial Intelligence, aka AI, which is developing very rapidly. "We at the Ministry of Communication and Information have issued a Ministerial Circular containing guidelines for using AI ethically. So there are already AI ethics guidelines for the industry. More of a value reference. So it's not legally binding yet. We call it soft regulation or soft law," he said to Edy Suherli, Bambang Eros and Irfan Medianto from VOI who met him at the Ministry of Communication and Information office, Medan Merdeka Barat Street, Jakarta not long ago. Here is the full excerpt.

The President has issued Presidential Decree No. 32 of 2024 regarding publisher rights, when will it be implemented?

Presidential Decree Number 32 of 2024 concerning the Responsibility of Digital Platform Companies to Support Quality Journalism or better known as Publisher Rights is the Presidential Decree that the Indonesian press community has been waiting for. The aim is to support quality journalism and maintain the sustainability of the press industry. Discussions about this issue started three years ago, thank God it was signed by President Jokowi on February 20 2024. Why did it take so long? Because there are many stakeholders and they are in one large ecosystem, the discussion is rather complex.

What is regulated in this Presidential Decree?

Firstly, supporting quality journalism and secondly maintaining the sustainability of the press media industry in Indonesia. This Presidential Decree regulates these two points in detail. Digital platforms are obliged to facilitate quality content created by publishers in accordance with the Press Law. Then put our best efforts into algorithm design, which provides a place for quality journalism. In order to maintain the sustainability of the media, revenue sharing is regulated, a kind of framework for B2B (Business-to-business) cooperation, between publishers and digital platforms. You can also share aggregate data, paid licenses, and other forms of collaboration, you can arrange it yourself. The important thing is that collaboration is mutually beneficial and fair.

This Presidential Decree only regulates commercialized news content. Content creators are not regulated even though the creators are journalists who work for all professional media.

Does this Presidential Decree still require further derivative regulations?

There are no more regulations, a committee will be formed if there is a dispute between publishers or press companies and digital platforms. This committee was formed by the Press Council whose members consist of 5 elements from experts and 5 elements from the Press Council. The experts will be selected by the office of the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs before entering. Those from the Press Council must not be affiliated with press companies or digital platforms. It is hoped that this committee can work once it is formed even though this Presidential Decree will be effective six months after it is ratified (article 19). If there is already a press company collaborating with a digital platform, please do so without having to wait six months. So, during this six month period, all parties carried out preparations, communication and dialogue. So that when the time comes it will be ready.

What will be the reaction from multinational companies such as Google, Yahoo, YouTube, etc., who will potentially use content from press companies?

We really appreciate the reaction from digital platforms, especially multinational ones. The problem is that this presidential decree applies to all digital platforms without exception, whether search engines or content aggregators.

Are all press companies in the country ready to welcome the implementation of this Presidential Decree and for those who are not ready, will there be assistance from the Ministry of Communication and Information?

Some are ready, because before this Presidential Decree was passed, there were already press companies that collaborated with digital platforms. We don't want the public space to be filled with hoax and disinformation content. That's why it needs to be supported by quality content from press companies. So that the public is served their right to obtain quality information.

For new press companies, do they have to upgrade themselves so they are ready to run with press companies that are already ready?

That's right, press companies can consult with the Press Council which will form a committee, what can be done. Then what form of cooperation is fair and mutually beneficial and so on. Hopefully the implementation of this presidential regulation will be smooth and smooth, we can strengthen the press ecosystem with quality journalism in Indonesia.

The development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is very rapid, how is the Ministry of Communication and Information dealing with this?

AI is not new, it has been around for the last 10 years. However, the peak in the last two years was with the emergence of Chat GPT. Everyone was shocked by the results of the GPT Chat. We call this GPT chat generative IA, namely artificial intelligence that can process data and produce something different and more creative. This is different from the initial input which is data. He can make new reports and new pictures. He can transform old forms into new forms without removing the old elements, traces of which are still there. His ability to create something new is truly amazing. Because, especially for Chat GPT, there is a large language called the large language model. How that data is processed through these large language models.

What worries many people is that AI could be separated from humans. Because he can match human intelligence. This is called the autonomous level of AI. The more autonomous he is, the more he can make his own decisions. Simply put, AI has incoming data, models and decision making. He has advanced quite far from the incoming data and from what humans imagine. This is because of the sophistication of the algorithms and other components in AI.

What are the risks of the presence of AI?

The presence of AI as displayed by Chat GPT and others does pose risks. He can create hallucinations of information, he can make up things freely, like something is true, but not necessarily. So you have to double check the results, otherwise you could be fooled. So this is a high level cheating technique, because the results are like real. The longer Chat CPT continues to learn, the less hallucinations Chat CPT version 4 will have.

Another problem he can bring is gender discrimination, race and so on. Another is copyright issues. With these various problems emerging, we have to regulate how to use Chat GPT and the like. We don't want to harm other people, create information chaos, especially since the results of Chat GPT's work have been used by various platforms. He can be a customer service officer, don't let the information provided be misleading. Several health and transportation companies are already using AI.

So the government is working on AI governance?

We at the Ministry of Communication and Information have issued a Ministerial Circular containing guidelines for using AI ethically. So there are already AI ethics guidelines for the industry. So it's more of a value reference. It is not yet legally binding. We call this soft regulation or soft law.

Next, we will make more rigid rules so that they can have a legal dimension. But we are still paying close attention to how AI is developing in the world today. Now what is developing in the world is AGI, Artificial General Intelligence. Or super intelligence, this is actually what many people are really afraid of.

Why?

Because he carries a number of risks. That is why the European Union regulates that AGI meets the ethics they set. They divide it into a number of risks; low risk, medium risk, high risk and unacceptable risk. What is most feared is unacceptable risk, because biometric data can be misused. Can be used to paralyze people and lose their privacy.

In 2020 the government has prepared the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence for Indonesia (Stranas AI) 2020-2024, what does it include?

Most of it is already covered, it just has to be enriched with the latest developments, namely AGI. This is what BRIN and KORIKA (Artificial Intelligence Industrial Research and Innovation Collaboration) are working on in collaboration with the Ministry of Communication and Information.

What government regulations will be implemented soon?

The Minister's Circular regarding AI is very useful for AI developers. We are also formulating an AI application before it is launched to the public to test it first, how it complies with existing regulations. This is often done in financial applications, because there is a big risk.

Talking about AI on one hand threatens certain types of jobs, but on the other hand new types of jobs emerge, how should the public respond to this?

A national strategy is needed in implementing AI, we must create a balance in the use of this emerging technology with the existing workforce. So wherever we  use AI and it will not shake our economic sector. For labor-intensive sectors, maybe we will postpone it for a while. We do not hinder technology, what we want is balance. The problem is that in 2030-2045 we will experience a demographic bonus, the workforce will reach 60 percent of our workforce.

What is clear is that in the future the world economy will move in the digital economy. In the world, the contribution of the use of AI is getting bigger and bigger in percentage. For ASEAN in 2030 it is predicted that it will reach 1 trillion US dollars. Of that amount, more than 360 billion dollars will be contributed by Indonesia. We can't stop this. We must equip our workforce with skills so that they are not left behind.

Nezar Patria: Don't Give Up and Hopeless

The very rapid development of technology recently is a challenge that must be faced. The younger generation, said Deputy Minister of Communication and Information Nezar Patria, must face all this with their heads held high. “This challenge must be faced. Never give up and give up," he stressed.

Fluctuations in life are normal. “Life has its ups and downs. If we fall, we get up and get up again. While you have the energy to get up, you have to get up. Even if you can only hold your head up. We must be optimistic about the future," stressed the man who was born in Sigli Aceh, October 5 1970.

An optimistic attitude, continued Nezar, is very important for living life. “Because optimism belongs to people who want to live on top of this world. If you no longer have a sense of optimism, just end this life," said Nezar, an activist who was kidnapped during the New Order era.

Never giving up and working hard are the main assets for achieving success. “We must be honest and open, always improve our skills and be adaptive to technological developments. That's what will enable us to survive," said the winner of the Journalism for Tolerance Prize (2003) held by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in Manila, Philippines, for investigative coverage of the May 1998 riots published in TEMPO Magazine.

Reading and Sport

Outside of his busy schedule at the office, Nezar Patria likes reading and sports. “I have had a hobby of reading books since the beginning. I read various types of books, from history books, novels, science, communication books and media. Apart from reading, I also take time to watch films," said Nezar, who is also the son of Aceh Press figure, former Editor-in-Chief of Serambi Indonesia Daily, Sjamsul Kahar.

For sports, he has played various types from time to time. “When I was in junior high and senior high school I practiced martial arts and boxing. But it seemed like it was too hard, so finally he stopped," said Nezar, who has been practicing Aikido for seven years, but had to stop because he suffered a back injury.

While studying at the UGM Faculty of Philosophy, his activities were mostly in lectures and organizational activities. "Sports still exist but only jogging, hehehe," said Nezar, who completed a Masters in the History of International Relations from the London School of Economics (LSE), University of London, England.

After working in Jakarta, Nezar used to swim regularly. “I used to swim intensely. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has stopped swimming activities. The problem is that almost all swimming pools are not operating. I want to swim again, but now it's difficult. What I can do is just take a walk in the morning," he said.

About Culinary

When he was young, he ate almost all types of food. But now he is starting to limit himself. “I'm not that fond of red meat, chicken is still fine. What I like most is tempeh, whether it's fried, made into chili sauce, blanched or cooked, whatever, I like it," admitted the man who was a member of the mission team to free RCTI journalist Feri Santoro in Aceh who was taken hostage by the Free Aceh Movement (2004).

Another thing he really likes is seafood. “I am a fairly progressive seafood eater. "I like all kinds of fish, shrimp, squid," said the man who prefers soy milk to cow's milk, because there are problems in his stomach when he consumes cow's milk. "I can't stand milk lactose, I have stomach problems when I drink cow's milk," he continued.

He realizes that currently it is not easy to find healthy food, because many farmers use excessive chemical fertilizers and pesticides to increase production. “There is now a lot of use of fertilizers and pesticides and farming with genetic engineering. If consumed for the long term, this will make us unhealthy," said Nezar, General Chair of the Indonesian Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) for the 2008-2011 period.

Still a Commuter

Even though he is busy with a multitude of activities in Jakarta, he never forgets his obligations as head of the family. "From the past until now, I have been a commuter, working in Jakarta but returning to Jogja on weekends to meet my wife and children. "Communication is built using telephone or video calls every day, morning, evening and at any time," he said.

Nezar started his career as a journalist at DR Magazine (1999-2000). Then he continued with Tempo Magazine until 2008. Together with several friends he then founded the VIVA.id news portal (2008-2014). His journalistic career continued to progress and he was Deputy Editor-in-Chief of CNN Indonesia (2014-2015) and Editor-in-Chief of  The Jakarta Post until the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Before President Jokowi was appointed Deputy Minister of Communication and Information, he was trusted to be Special Staff to the Minister of BUMN and Director of Gov Affairs, Business Development and IT at PT Pos Indonesia (2020-2022). “Every era has challenges, our predecessors also experienced ones that were no less great than today. "Now our challenges revolve around technology, the environment, energy and food," he stressed.

In the midst of such tough challenges, continued Nezar Patria,  you must have values. “For the younger generation, the purpose of life must be clear. So you can fill your life with more meaning," he concluded.

"Press companies can consult with the Press Council which will form a committee, what can be done with digital platforms. Then what forms of cooperation are fair and mutually beneficial and so on. Hopefully the implementation of this presidential decree will be smooth and fixed, we can strengthen the press ecosystem with quality journalism in Indonesia,"