Anindya Bakrie Confident that AI Utilisation Can Strengthen MSME Performance for the National Economy

Jakarta – The Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (Kadin), Anindya Bakrie, stated that the appropriate utilisation of artificial intelligence (AI) can help strengthen the MSME sector, as the backbone of the national economy. According to him, the use of AI must be viewed as a strategic opportunity to drive economic growth, while also creating jobs. Anin explained that to achieve an economic growth target of 5-6 percent, Indonesia needs to create millions of jobs. On the other hand, the continuously increasing number of university graduates also requires optimal absorption of labour. “So there are two ways of thinking: we see this as just a challenge, or we see it as a potential,” said Anindya on Tuesday, 28 April 2026. According to him, the best approach in developing AI in Indonesia is to focus on applications relevant to domestic needs. He assessed that various global AI technologies and software are already available, but they need to be adapted to the characteristics of problems and opportunities in the country. Furthermore, Anindya emphasised that the success of AI implementation greatly depends on the involvement of MSMEs, given that around 97 percent of Indonesia’s workforce comes from that sector. “AI will only succeed as much as we mobilise our friends in MSMEs,” said Anindya. He also highlighted the investment trends entering Indonesia, where in the first quarter of 2026, total investment reached Rp 498.8 trillion. However, most of that investment does not come from large projects, but rather small-scale investments with an average of around Rp 1.5 billion per project. In addition, Anindya assessed that service-based sectors (service industry) also have great potential to be impacted, as well as to develop through AI adoption. Some sectors deemed most prospective include finance, health, and education. “The focus is definitely on finance, but also very important in health and education. Because the service industry is the easiest to disrupt, but also the easiest for innovation,” he said.