Jakarta. Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Nezar Patria said the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the media industry, from content production to business models, while posing serious ethical and structural challenges.

Speaking in Jakarta on Thursday, Nezar said AI has advanced to the point where it can seamlessly combine text, images, and audio to generate realistic photos and videos.

“This technology has transformed professional relationships and production systems within corporations and industries. It shakes many aspects of society, including journalism,” he said.

Indonesia’s media industry has already been under strain from digital disruption, shrinking ad revenues, and shifting consumer behavior that favors bite-sized content over in-depth reporting. At least 1,200 media workers were laid off between 2023 and 2024, according to the Indonesian Press Council, with further cuts reportedly underway at outlets such as Kompas TV, CNN Indonesia, Republika, and TVRI.

Many major outlets have also shut down. In print, Koran SINDO (2023), Harian Republika (2022), Koran Tempo (2020), and Suara Pembaruan (2021) have all folded, while the Jakarta Globe stopped printing in 2015. On the broadcast side, TV7, TPI, VH1 Indonesia, and Bloomberg TV are gone, and ANTV reportedly carried out mass layoffs in late 2024.

The financial squeeze is worsened by ad spending shifting to global tech giants. AMSI, the Indonesian Cyber Media Association, projected total ad spending in 2024 at Rp 71.5 trillion ($4.3 billion), but said about 80 percent of that will go to platforms like Google and Meta, leaving local publishers struggling to survive.

Against this backdrop, Nezar pointed to two critical challenges. The first comes from social media platforms, which have seized control of audiences and weakened direct traffic to news websites. “In the print era, readers had strong emotional ties with media. Now, platforms dictate distribution and reduce direct engagement,” he said.

“In the print era, readers had strong emotional ties with media. Now, platforms dictate distribution and reduce direct engagement,” he explained.

The second challenge stems from generative AI, which can now produce summaries and even news articles automatically. “Only reporters are still needed to gather raw data. The rest can be processed by AI into finished stories,” Nezar said.

He warned this raises copyright concerns as AI can mimic the style of established publishers, while also fueling the spread of misinformation. “This creates what we call information disorder. We can no longer easily tell whether content is authentic or AI-generated,” he said.

To adapt, Nezar pointed to international examples. The New York Times, for instance, has restructured itself into a tech-driven company while tightening control over its content. Other global publishers have formed coalitions to protect journalistic integrity, distinguish human reporting from AI-generated content, and block AI systems from harvesting their material.

Despite the disruption, Nezar stressed that journalism retains an edge over machines through its discipline of verification. “Only professionals dedicated to accuracy and truth can carry out verification seriously,” he said.

The government, he added, has prepared a national AI roadmap aimed at ensuring ethical and responsible use of the technology. “We hope the media industry can adapt to these ongoing changes,” Nezar said.