Indonesia and China discuss establishment of AI innovation centre

Indonesia's Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid, and Nanning City (China) official Nong Shengwen discussed prospects for cooperation in digital transformation, with a particular focus on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture and the development of smart cities. This is reported by Antara News.

"Cooperation in the digital infrastructure between Indonesia and China is the largest among cooperation with other countries. This has supported connectivity to remote areas of Indonesia through 4G and 5G technology," Hafid noted during the meeting.

The Indonesian side expressed interest in expanding cooperation with Nanning in the AI field, given the city's successful experience in establishing a pioneering AI-based smart city centre.

"We are open to collaborating with various countries, including China, in developing AI technology. Our target is to create nine million highly capable digital talents in AI by 2030," she emphasised.

According to Nong Shengwen, Nanning has significant experience in building smart cities, as well as a developed ecosystem of digital talents and startups that can serve as a model for developing a similar ecosystem in Indonesia.

He also welcomed the proposal to strengthen cooperation in technological innovation and assured Nanning's willingness to provide full support to Indonesian companies wishing to cooperate with the city.

"We hope to build a center for AI cooperation and innovation between China and ASEAN in Indonesia, with full support from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs," he stated.