Customs DG Claims AI Effectively Prevents Under-Invoicing

Director General of Customs and Excise at the Ministry of Finance, Djaka Budhi Utama, has stated that artificial intelligence (AI) technology is effective in preventing the practice of under-invoicing or price manipulation. The technology has contributed to an increase in import duty revenue. Customs and Excise introduced the digital service Trade AI, which was developed independently, last year. “It is proven that by utilising AI, up to June this year our import duties have increased by almost 9 percent,” Djaka said during a meeting with Commission XI of the House of Representatives in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday, 15 June 2026. The practice of price manipulation by reporting lower prices, or under-invoicing, is one of the factors causing revenue leakage. Therefore, the Directorate General of Customs and Excise is using artificial intelligence technology as a preventive measure. He stated that Customs and Excise is continuing to develop Trade AI to work more perfectly. The development is carried out through data input and algorithms based on the habits of exporters and importers. According to Djaka, with the help of artificial intelligence, the base prices circulating in the market or on online marketplaces are easier to monitor. “So we can minimise the potential for under-invoicing,” he said. Nevertheless, he stated that the increase in import duties also occurred due to a surge in imports. Imports of raw materials and auxiliary materials up to 31 May 2026 grew by 10.67 percent. Overall, the realisation of import duty revenue as of the end of May was recorded at Rp 21.5 trillion, growing 9.7 percent compared to the same period the previous year, which was only Rp 19.6 trillion. The digital services Trade AI and Self Service Report Mobile (SSR-Mobile) were developed internally. Trade AI is an application designed to improve the accuracy of import analysis through early detection of under-invoicing, over-invoicing, and potential trade-based money laundering.