Menkomdigi Encourages Women's Participation In The AI Ecosystem

JAKARTA - Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid stated the government's commitment to encouraging women's participation in the artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem to create more diverse solutions and prevent biased reproduction in society.

"The government encourages women's participation in the AI ecosystem. Current data show that women's involvement in AI development and leadership is far from ideal," Meutya said, quoting Antara.

"In fact, gender inclusiveness in technology not only creates more diverse solutions, but also ensures that AI does not reproduce the bias that exists in society," he added.

In realizing this, Meutya said that the government would strengthen collaboration with academics, industry players, and international organizations to ensure women get equal access and opportunities in the AI industry.

On the other hand, he also highlighted the challenges and risks of AI adoption of female workers. According to him, AI-driven automation can threaten jobs that have been dominated by women.

"If we don't take the right steps, the digital gap between men and women can widen," said Meutya.

Therefore, he emphasized the importance of building an AI ecosystem that is not only sophisticated, but also ethical and inclusive, and beneficial for all Indonesian people.

In addition to increasing the involvement of women, Meutya said the government had implemented various policies to support ethical and inclusive digital transformation.

First, the government has passed the Personal Data Protection Law to maintain the security of public information. In addition, his party also issued an AI Ethics Circular which emphasized the importance of the principles of transparency, inclusion, and non-discrimination in the development of artificial intelligence technology.

Second, the development of digital infrastructure and AI literacy by expanding internet access to all corners of the country to ensure that every citizen has the same opportunity for the use of technology.

"In addition, the movement to reach millions of people is now strengthened by focusing on AI literacy, including for women and also vulnerable groups, so that they are not left behind in this era of automation," said Meutya.