Jakarta. Digital industry leaders recently zeroed in the need to build infrastructure, talent, and public trust to maintain cybersecurity in today's technological advancements.

Bayu Hanantasena, the President Director and CEO of Lintasarta --the subsidiary of the tech giant Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison-- recently joined a panel discussion on “Securing Indonesia’s AI Future: From Vision to Real-World Impact”. NVIDIA's Solutions Architecture and Engineering Vice President Marc Hamilton, as well as Cisco's Senior Vice President dan President of APAC Japan and Greater China Dave West, also joined the forum. All three underlined how cybersecurity infrastructure, including the security operation center (SOC), is key to ensure a safe and inclusive digital transformation.

Bayu Hanantasena said that a robust infrastructure was key to creating an impactful artificial intelligence (AI).

"To use AI, there are three basic elements: electric power, computing, and network. Without all these, AI will only just be an idea," Bayu said.

Since November 2024, Lintasarta has launched the AI Merdeka campaign, which aims to develop local talents through an incubation process involving 150 AI startups. "Over two-thirds of our talents come from outside the major cities. This shows that anyone can develop AI, anywhere," Bayu said.

NVIDIA's Marc Hamilton called AI a technology that could break down professional barriers.

"Today, perhaps only 2 percent of Indonesians are programmers. With AI, anyone can be a 'programmer' just by using simple prompts," Hamilton said.

According to him, Indonesia can unlock its best potential if it can develop local AI models that are relevant to its language, culture, and  the needs of the community.

“Public AI like ChatGPT and Gemini are trained with global data. We need to create models that truly understand Indonesia,” he said.

However, Hamilton underlined how security and trust would remain essential for this technology to be truly inclusive.

Cisco's Dave West called for the need to democratize technology.

“We want AI to be accessible everywhere, not just in big cities. It's about trust. If people don't feel safe, there won't be inclusion,” he said.

Dave also highlighted the impact AI can have on opening access to education, healthcare, and public services in remote areas.

“Imagine how productivity will increase, costs can be reduced, and opportunities will be opened up for all citizens. But all of this must be built on a strong foundation of cybersecurity and data protection,” he said.

Cross-sector collaboration at this event is key to ensuring Indonesia is not just a consumer of technology but also able to determine the direction of future AI development.

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