Jakarta, INTI - The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) believes that the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) could provide Indonesia with an opportunity to strengthen its position in global value chains.
Apindo Chairwoman Shinta Kamdani said AI should not be used solely to improve corporate productivity, but also to deepen industrialization and generate greater domestic added value.
Indonesia Must Move Beyond AI Adoption
According to Shinta, AI adoption is becoming increasingly strategic as Indonesia advances its industrialization, downstream processing, and digital transformation agendas.
“The measure of success is not simply how many companies use AI, but how far AI can improve productivity, deepen industrialization, and elevate Indonesia’s position in global value chains,” Shinta said at the Investor Daily Summit at the Raffles Hotel in Jakarta on Thursday, October 8, 2026.
Building Domestic AI Capabilities to Capture Greater Value
She added that Indonesia has several advantages to capitalize on AI development, including its large domestic market, workforce, and natural resources. However, these advantages must be accompanied by the ability to develop domestic technological capabilities.
According to Shinta, Indonesia must move beyond being a technology adopter and evolve into a technology developer and value creator.
If Indonesia remains merely a technology user, she warned, much of the added value generated by the AI economy could continue to accrue to other countries. This is particularly relevant to control over data, intellectual property, computing infrastructure, AI models, platforms, and capital.
“Countries that can build these capabilities will be able to capture a larger share of global value creation,” she concluded.
Conclusion
Indonesia has an opportunity to strengthen its position in global value chains through AI adoption and domestic technology development. According to Apindo, the key lies in moving beyond technology adoption toward building local capabilities in AI, computing infrastructure, intellectual property, and digital platforms to generate greater domestic value and support long-term industrial growth.
Read more: NUS Expert Urges Indonesia to Prepare an AI Strategy to Ensure Demographic Dividend Does Not Become a Burden