Creative Economy Minister: AI utilisation could reduce youth unemployment
The Creative Economy Ministry believes that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) can open up more work and entrepreneurship opportunities for the younger generation, while also serving as a way to reduce unemployment amid changing work patterns caused by technological developments.
Creative Economy Minister and Head of the Creative Economy Agency Teuku Riefky Harsya said technological developments have created more flexible work opportunities, including through the gig economy, which allows young people to work without having to be in an office.
“Now, many gig economy opportunities require young people to become freelancers without having to be in an office. The Creative Economy Ministry continues to encourage the capacity development of the younger generation through various training programmes,” Riefky said in a statement received on Saturday.
According to him, the combination of improved digital skills and the use of AI can expand young talent’s access to job opportunities. Training in areas such as voice-over work and affiliate marketing, for example, can be combined with the ability to use AI to produce various types of content and support economic activity.
These opportunities are important given Indonesia’s still large labour force. Based on data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the open unemployment rate in February 2026 reached 4.68 percent. In the same period, the labour force totalled 154.91 million people, with 147.67 million people employed.
Teuku Riefky said the creative economy has a strategic position in creating new sources of growth and employment. Every creative economy subsector is considered to have the potential to generate new economic activity as the use of digital technology increases.
“The Creative Economy Ministry sees the creative economy as having a strategic role in supporting the middle class because each subsector is able to open up jobs and new business opportunities. We also have various digital training programmes for creative economy practitioners and young talent,” he said.
In line with this, KreasiKita is developing an AI-based career platform that connects young talent with job opportunities while helping MSMEs utilise digital technology.
The platform, scheduled to launch on 18 August 2026, will provide features such as job matching, weekly challenges, tasks, communities, and an AI Studio for MSMEs that includes AI image, AI video, and AI assistant tools.
KreasiKita CEO Ivan Handryks Sitanaya said the platform has two main goals: helping young people access jobs and encouraging MSMEs to improve their business capacity.
“KreasiKita has two goals, namely helping the younger generation get jobs and encouraging MSMEs to move up a level,” Ivan said.
According to him, AI-based features such as image generators, video, and chatbots can be used to support various work and business activities. With easier access to such technology, opportunities for creative talent to enter the digital job market are also expected to become wider.
The responsible use of AI is also seen as part of collaboration between the government and industry players in improving digital literacy, empowering the younger generation, and accelerating the digitalisation of MSMEs.