Jakarta, INTI - Generation Z (Gen Z) is the largest group of artificial intelligence (AI) users in Indonesia, according to the 2026 Internet Penetration and User Behavior Survey conducted by the Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJII). However, overall AI adoption among internet users in Indonesia remains relatively low, with only 18.2% of respondents reporting that they have used the technology.
The APJII survey recorded that Indonesia’s internet users reached 235.26 million in 2026, equivalent to 81.72% of the total population of 287.89 million. Of these, 81.8% of respondents said they had never used AI.
By generation, Gen Z aged 13–28 leads AI usage at 29.4%, followed by Millennials (29–44) at 16.7%, Generation X (45–60) at 7.5%, while Baby Boomers (61–79) and Pre-Boomers (80 and above) account for only 0.8% each.
In terms of gender, AI usage is higher among men than women. About 19.7% of male respondents reported using AI, compared to 16.7% of female respondents. Meanwhile, 80.3% of men and 83.3% of women reported not using AI.
Usage Patterns Differ Across Generations and Gender
Regarding use cases, AI is most commonly used for entertainment, such as generating videos or images, accounting for 36.5% of users. Educational and research purposes, including chatbots and academic summarization, rank second at 30.2%, followed by work and productivity applications such as automated writing, copywriting, and data analysis at 26.9%. Voice-based digital assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant, and Bixby account for 6.4%.
By generation, Gen Z primarily uses AI for entertainment (44.4%), followed by education and research (34.9%), work and productivity (19.0%), and digital assistants (1.6%). Among Millennials, entertainment also dominates at 34.2%, followed by education and research (28.9%), work and productivity (26.3%), and digital assistants (10.5%).
For Generation X, AI usage is relatively evenly distributed, with 33.3% using it for entertainment, education and research, and work and productivity respectively. No respondents in this group reported using AI as a digital assistant. Meanwhile, among Baby Boomers, all reported AI usage (100%) is for entertainment only, with no usage recorded for other categories.
From a gender perspective, men use AI more for entertainment (45.8%) compared to women (36.5%). For education and research, usage stands at 35.4% for men and 30.2% for women. However, women show higher usage in work and productivity applications (27.0%) compared to men (16.7%), while digital assistant usage is higher among women (6.4%) than men (2.1%).
Among respondents who have not used AI, the main reason is lack of awareness, with 46.6% stating they do not know about AI technology. Other reasons include feeling no need for AI content (22.7%), not knowing how to use AI (15.5%), not finding interesting AI services (5.9%), difficulty in using AI tools (3.5%), privacy and security concerns (3.6%), and lack of access or adequate technology (2.1%).
Conclusion
Indonesia’s AI adoption rate remains relatively low at 18.2%, despite strong internet penetration across the country. Gen Z leads as the most active user group, showing that younger generations are driving AI usage, particularly for entertainment and learning purposes. However, the majority of Indonesians still have limited exposure to AI due to lack of awareness and understanding, indicating a significant gap in digital literacy and AI readiness.
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