Indonesia, US Expand Pacts on AI, Child Protection in Digital Space

Illustration of children or kids browsing social media (Photo: Pexels) TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia and the United States (US) are expanding digital cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI) and child protection online, with Jakarta seeking to promote technology adoption while strengthening safeguards and risk-based regulation. Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said Indonesia's openness to global technology must be accompanied by regulatory certainty and responsible implementation. "Technology must benefit society. Therefore, cooperation and its implementation must remain within the framework of national interests, including ensuring that people have a safe digital space," Meutya said on Tuesday, as quoted from Antara. She made the remarks during a meeting with Joy Sakurai, Charge d'Affaires ad interim at the US Embassy in Indonesia, at the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs in Central Jakarta. The two sides discussed AI development and policies to protect children in digital spaces, as Indonesia prepares a new governance framework for the development and use of AI. Meutya said the government was preparing an AI governance framework based on risk levels, aimed at allowing innovation to continue while providing greater certainty over the safety and use of AI. "The AI roadmap is being prepared to complement the very high level of AI adoption in Indonesia, especially among young people," she said. "We are introducing risk-based regulation not to hinder innovation, but to build public safety and trust in technology," she added. The government is also preparing a Responsible AI framework that classifies applications as unacceptable, high, or low risk. The rules will be adapted to the characteristics of individual sectors through sector-specific regulations, Meutya said. The two countries also discussed measures to protect children online. Indonesia is taking an age- and risk-based approach rather than imposing a blanket ban on children's access to digital platforms. Under the planned approach, independent account ownership will be restricted according to platform risk. Users of high-risk platforms must be at least 16, while the minimum age for lower-risk platforms will be 13. "We encourage major technology companies to redesign their products to be child-friendly, limit screen time, and block access to chats with strangers without parental consent," Meutya said. The United States welcomed Indonesia's digital governance measures and offered cooperation through the AI Export Center in San Francisco, along with expert support and assistance in implementing AI within government agencies. Read: Are AI Data Centers Depleting Earth's Water? Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News