Experts Highlight AI Talent Gap In Indonesia, This Is The Reason

Esther Wong in the discussion of the 2024 Asian Tech in Asian panel (photo: Dinda Buana/VOI)

JAKARTA - In a panel discussion at the 2024 Tech in Asia Conference in Jakarta, international artificial intelligence (AI) experts highlighted the existence of talent gaps in the AI sector in Indonesia.

Although no panelists come from Indonesia, they provide an in-depth view of the factors that cause this gap and the potential solution.

One of the panelists, Ester Wong as the founder and CEO of 3Cap and has experience working in the world's leading AI laboratory, explains that countries such as China and the United States have the advantage of producing high-quality AI researchers.

In the discussion, Esther explained that this was due to a strong emphasis on science and mathematics education from an early age in these countries.

"In China, there is a lot of emphasis on science and mathematics. So, naturally producing a lot of people who are quite good at being data scientists and things like that," he said on Wednesday, October 23.

However, Esther also sees an opportunity for Indonesia to catch up. Because according to her, this AI technology is a new technology where the whole world is also studying it together in the past two years.

He even gave an example of our neighboring country, namely Singapore, which has succeeded in building regional AI centers and facilitating AI education at high levels.

"I'm sure nothing is really late in this because AI 2.0 is still new to everyone. So, unlike people who have made progress 10 years ahead of Indonesia. Everyone is just getting started," Esther said.

Esther also emphasized the importance of wider internet use, thus allowing the Indonesian people to easily access the latest learning and information sources in the AI sector.

"I believe that with the proliferation of the internet, you can really learn a lot online," he concluded.