Airlangga Confident Indonesia Can Catch Up with China in Artificial Intelligence

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto is confident Indonesia can catch up with China in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. “China has been extraordinary in their application of AI and robotics, so Indonesia must catch up with what they are doing,” Airlangga said in Shanghai on Saturday, 18 July 2026. He made the statement while visiting several booths at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2026 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre, held from 17 to 20 July 2026. WAIC has been held since 2018 and is one of the largest gatherings in the fields of AI, intelligent computing, and embodied intelligence. In 2026, WAIC took place at three different locations in Shanghai, inviting 1,400 speakers from home and abroad, including nine Nobel and Turing Award laureates, as well as business leaders and policymakers. The exhibition also involved 1,100 companies showcasing 3,000 products and technologies, including more than 300 products making their global debut. “Their robotics industry development is truly progressing and has extraordinary flexibility, especially for many tasks that can be performed using robots,” Airlangga said. Airlangga will report his findings from the exhibition, along with his meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, to President Prabowo Subianto. “Of course, we will report that going forward we must not be left behind in AI development, especially also in robotics and the renewable energy sector,” Airlangga said. At the exhibition, Airlangga visited at least three booths. The first was Unitree Robotics, a robotics company from Hangzhou founded in 2016. The company focuses on the research, development, production, and sale of high-performance legged and humanoid robots for consumer and industrial use. Its products include the Go, A, and B series quadruped robots, as well as humanoid robots such as the H1, G1, and H2. Unitree is famous for its appearance at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala celebrating Chinese New Year. In 2026, Unitree showcased the G1 and H2 robots performing autonomous kung fu, including complex movements like backflips, parkour, and a “Drunken Fist” choreography. The second booth visited was Deep Robotics, another Hangzhou-based robotics company founded in 2017. It produces robotic systems and core components, focusing on quadruped and humanoid robots for industrial, automation, and research purposes. Their flagship products are the Jueying series robots, designed for industrial applications such as power grid inspection, search and rescue, and hazardous environment monitoring. The third booth was Connected and Intelligent Technologies Co., Ltd (CICT), a state-owned enterprise under the China Information Technology Group. Founded in 2012, CICT focuses on the intelligent connected vehicle (ICV) industry and smart transportation, engaging in technical standards research, product development, and market promotion of C-V2X (Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything) technology, as well as integrated solutions for vehicle-road collaboration, autonomous driving, and smart cockpits.