Indonesia Officially Joins Global Organization in the Field of Artificial Intelligence

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto (center)

JAKARTA - Indonesia has officially joined the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) initiated by China.

Indonesia's participation was marked by the signing of the WAICO establishment document on Thursday (16/6) by Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto based on the instructions of President Prabowo Subianto, which was conveyed in a Limited Meeting on July 13.

"This signing was carried out at the direction of President Prabowo to encourage economic development that accelerates the sustainable development agenda of the United Nations, and has an impact on the welfare of people around the world," said Airlangga in a written statement in Shanghai, Thursday (16/6).

There are 29 countries that have signed the founding document of WAICO including Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of Kazakhstan Zhaslan Madiyev, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Laos Thongsavanh Phomvihane, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Administration Maxim Oreshkin, representatives of Pakistan, Brazil, South Africa and others, and was also attended by UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

"Indonesia needs to be directly involved in international cooperation and global governance on AI for healthy development and in a direction that is beneficial, safe, and just for the benefit of all mankind, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter," added Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga.

The document "Agreement on the Establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO)" states that the signatory countries agree to establish WAICO as an independent international intergovernmental organization and granted international legal personality, and all countries that sign this agreement document will be the founders and Member States of WAICO.

According to the agreement, this organization will uphold the purposes of the UN Charter, commit to broad consultation and joint contributions for the common good, and adopt a human-centered approach.

WAICO also aims to encourage international cooperation and global governance related to AI, ensuring that AI is beneficial, safe, and fair, so as to encourage its healthy and orderly development for the benefit of all mankind.

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Airlangga emphasized that Indonesia's presence as one of the founding members (Founding Member) in the organization was a strategic step to ensure that the direction of global AI governance development remained human-centric and provided equal benefits for all countries, especially developing countries in encouraging development progress and increasing economic growth.

"The signing of the WAICO establishment agreement document today is an important milestone for all of us. Through this platform, Indonesia is committed to taking an active role in bridging the global technology capability gap (bridging the AI divide) and managing AI to be safer (safe), trustworthy (trustworthy), and ethical (ethical)," added Airlangga.

Before the signing, a meeting was held with Chinese President Xi Jinping and a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The formation of WAICO coincides with the series of events of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2026 in Shanghai.

WAIC was first held in 2018 as a technology exhibition as well as an effort to encourage global partnerships in the development and regulation of AI.

WAIC 2026 was held in three different locations in the city of Shanghai by inviting 1,400 speakers from home and abroad including 9 winners of the Novel and Turing Awards as well as company leaders and policymakers, involving 1,100 companies to showcase 3,000 products and technologies, including more than 300 products that made their global debut.

Participating companies include Chinese technology giants such as Huawei, Alibaba, Baidu, then various Chinese AI companies such as MiniMax, StepFun and Zhipu AI.

In the robotics and automation sector, Unitree, Fourier Intelligence, AgiBot, as well as startups such as Zero Degree and computing and chip companies such as Oriental Computing (with the first 3D chip in its class), Muxi, Tianshu Zhixin, and Moore Threads.

2026 in China is said to be the first year of the implementation of AI agents (AI Agent), where AI shifts from merely communicating capabilities to real productivity, namely working on tasks independently.

Another big trend is the development of embodied AI, or artificial intelligence in physical form, such as humanoid robots that have started working in factories and warehouses, not just as a display.