AI Adoption is Inevitable but Cannot Replace Humans

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - President Director of Ingram Micro Indonesia, Mulia Dewi Karnadi, has revealed that the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) has become an inevitable necessity that must be accepted. AI Clouds have now been established in various parts of the world to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence, from America and Europe to Asia.

“We know that there are telecom providers that have already prepared AI. On the global side, Microsoft has made a significant investment by building an AI Data Center in Indonesia, while Google already has generative AI,” said Mulia Dewi at the CNBC Indonesia Tech & Telco Forum 2026 on Wednesday (6/5/2026).

In Indonesia itself, AI adoption has been underway for nearly a decade and is not merely a pilot project. The most important requirements for using AI are data and security. These two elements are likened to water and air, which serve as the ‘source of life’ for artificial intelligence.

“Because if AI is run without security, it can cause a storm that leads to losses. AI technology, when viewed closely, is quite complex with billions of data points and applications behind it,” she explained.

Mulia Dewi stated that Ingram acts as an aggregator and has launched an AI-based digital platform, which provides a proposition to business partners. For companies new to adopting AI, a maturity test is typically required to ensure that the artificial intelligence delivers optimal benefits.

“The second thing we can provide is what needs to be developed. We offer skills, because there is a significant digital literacy gap here; we help by providing the necessary training,” she said.

AI Cannot Replace Humans

Alongside the high adoption of AI, many questions and concerns arise about whether human roles will be replaced. Mulia Dewi believes there are several aspects that AI cannot replace, particularly jobs requiring a human touch.

“Jobs that do not require compassion, such as empathy and ethics, cannot be handled by AI. For things that do not need compassion, AI can be used, for example, in offices with virtual assistants for booking meeting rooms, because that is simple. It does not require compassion or norms,” said Mulia Dewi.

Jobs that do not require a human side, emotions, values, or creativity can, in her view, utilise AI.

“For example, payroll does not require compassion; that can use AI. But what needs compassion must be driven by humans,” she concluded.