Jakarta, INTI - The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) has emphasized that cybersecurity in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) must go beyond protecting technological systems. It should also prioritize safeguarding personal identities, private information, and public trust.

The rapid advancement of AI is transforming the nature of digital security threats, creating new opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit identity manipulation and misinformation through increasingly sophisticated scams.

Raden Wijaya Kusumawardhana, Expert Staff to the Minister for Social, Economic, and Cultural Affairs at Komdigi, stated that AI developments have expanded the scope of cyberattacks, increasingly targeting individuals who use digital services.

"AI advancements have expanded the attack surface to include human identity, information, and trust," Wijaya said in a statement received in Jakarta on Thursday.

He explained that the evolving nature of cyber threats requires a more comprehensive cybersecurity approach to ensure that the public can better manage the risks associated with digital technology misuse.

Komdigi Highlights Deepfake and AI-Generated Voice Fraud Threats

Wijaya explained that AI presents both opportunities and challenges for cybersecurity, as the technology can strengthen digital protection while also being exploited by malicious actors.

On the positive side, AI can help identify anomalies and unusual activities within digital systems, enabling potential security threats to be detected at an earlier stage.

The technology can also analyze various types of cyberattacks and accelerate responses to security incidents.

These capabilities enable more efficient monitoring and threat management through automated security processes.

However, the growing sophistication of AI has also created opportunities for criminals to develop fraudulent schemes that are increasingly realistic and difficult for the public to recognize.

One example is the misuse of deepfake technology, which uses AI to manipulate audio, images, or videos to imitate a person's appearance or voice.

Deepfakes can be used to impersonate individuals through fabricated content or communications designed to appear as though they originate from a specific person.

Another emerging threat involves AI-generated voice cloning, in which criminals imitate the voices of family members during phone calls to convince victims that they are speaking with someone they know.

The ability of AI to replicate identities and voices demonstrates that digital security threats are no longer limited to system breaches or vulnerabilities in technological infrastructure.

Cyberattacks are increasingly targeting human trust, perception, and decision-making processes to achieve fraudulent objectives.

Digital Literacy Becomes Essential in Preventing AI-Powered Scams

In response to these emerging threats, Komdigi has stressed the importance of strengthening digital security literacy as a preventive measure against AI misuse.

The public needs to develop the ability to recognize signs of fraud, understand the risks associated with artificial intelligence, and protect personal identities and sensitive information.

Wijaya emphasized that people's ability to distinguish credible information from digitally manipulated content must continue to improve alongside technological advancements.

"We recognize that people's ability to identify scams, protect their identities, understand AI-related risks, and maintain information security must remain an essential part of strengthening national digital capabilities," Wijaya said.

Improving digital literacy is particularly important as AI enables criminals to generate fraudulent communications that increasingly resemble genuine human interactions.

With better cybersecurity awareness, individuals are expected to become more capable of identifying potential threats and taking preventive measures before falling victim to scams.

Komdigi believes that raising public awareness must go hand in hand with improving technological capabilities to detect and respond to cyber threats.

Komdigi Promotes Risk-Based AI Governance and Security Testing

Beyond strengthening digital literacy, Komdigi has highlighted the importance of implementing risk-based AI governance to anticipate emerging security challenges.

This approach is necessary to ensure that AI development and deployment take into account potential impacts on information security, user identities, and public trust in digital services.

Risk-based governance includes conducting security assessments of AI technologies to identify vulnerabilities that could potentially be exploited by malicious parties.

Such testing serves as a preventive measure to ensure that AI systems are developed and deployed with adequate security and user protection considerations.

Komdigi has also underscored the importance of establishing accountability mechanisms to ensure that AI development, deployment, and management remain transparent and responsible.

These mechanisms are necessary to ensure that AI applications operate within appropriate oversight and control frameworks in accordance with applicable regulations.

In addition, strengthening national capabilities to anticipate emerging cyberattacks has become a government priority as AI technologies grow increasingly sophisticated.

These efforts include improving preparedness for evolving cybercrime patterns that target not only technological infrastructure but also individuals using digital services.

Human Oversight Remains Essential in the AI-Driven Cybersecurity Era

Wijaya emphasized that using AI to strengthen cybersecurity must still involve human oversight and control.

Human involvement is necessary to ensure that automated systems used to detect and respond to threats are supported by appropriate human judgment in assessing potential risks.

This approach allows AI to serve as a digital protection tool while helping prevent its misuse for fraud, identity impersonation, and information manipulation.

Komdigi believes that cybersecurity in the AI era requires collaboration across technological capabilities, governance frameworks, institutional preparedness, and public awareness.

These efforts are intended to ensure that AI advancements continue to deliver benefits while strengthening protection against increasingly sophisticated digital threats.

"Cybersecurity in the AI era requires a broader approach that combines technological capabilities, governance, institutional readiness, and public awareness," Wijaya concluded.

Conclusion

Komdigi emphasizes that cybersecurity in the AI era must extend beyond technological infrastructure to include identity protection, public awareness, responsible AI governance, and human oversight. As deepfake technology and AI-powered scams become increasingly sophisticated, strengthening digital literacy and national cybersecurity capabilities is essential to protecting public trust.

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