Indonesia, the fourth most populous country in the world, has nearly 23.85 million people living under the poverty line at 8.47%, perpetuated by decades of economic disparities between urban and rural areas, despite the country’s upper middle class making significant progress.
To address this issue, the Indonesian government now intends to use artificial intelligence (AI) across key government programmes, including President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship, controversy marred $15 billion Free Meals initiative.
According to a report in Reuters, a draft Presidential regulation outlining the national AI roadmap 2026-2029 has directed ministries and regional governments to integrate AI into public services and priority programmes.
As per the regulatory framework draft, AI would play a central role in the free meals programme of the archipelago nation, by helping design region-specific menus, forecast food demand, monitor kitchen hygiene, identify irregularities, and integrate health data to provide early warnings of emergencies.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship $15 billion free meals initiative targets feeding 83 million children and pregnant women across Indonesia through 27,000 dedicated community kitchens.
The programme had come under severe criticism over allegations of corruption charges, food safety concerns and mismanagement as over 33,000 children have reportedly fallen ill, after consuming meals under the initiative, till now.
In June first week, President Subianto fired Dadan Hindayana, the chief of the Free Meals Initiative, who was arrested on corruption charges, including marking up procurement prices under the scheme.
The Indonesian government has accepted that it will not be able to complete the target of feeding 83 million kids and pregnant women in 2026, just a year after the flagship scheme was launched by the President.
The new head of Free Meals Initiative Nanik Deyang has said that the government’s focus for this year would be more efficient use of existing kitchens, with greater focus on service quality, rather than expansion.
Indonesia has lagged behind regional neighbours such as Singapore and Malaysia in AI development. While global technology companies have invested heavily in Southeast Asia’s AI infrastructure, analysts say Indonesia still faces challenges, including limited access to advanced chips and a shortage of skilled AI professionals.
The draft also reiterates plans for a sovereign AI fund managed largely through Danantara Indonesia and proposes incentives to support AI research and talent development. President Prabowo has yet to sign the regulation.
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