Erick Thohir Highlights Impact of AI on Workforce, Warns Many Jobs Could Vanish

Minister Erick Thohir has highlighted the impact of developments in artificial intelligence (AI) on the global workforce. He assessed that the rapid digital transformation currently underway will bring significant changes to labour requirements across various sectors.

These remarks were made by Erick during a working meeting with Commission X of the House of Representatives (DPR) at the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday (2/6/2026). He initially discussed several youth development programmes, including youth camps, debate competitions, and internship programmes.

“Internship programmes are becoming vital because research we have conducted shows that the issues faced by young people are not unique to Indonesia; there is a widespread uncertainty in seeking employment due to digitalisation and AI,” said Erick.

Erick drew attention to the rapid evolution of AI, noting that it has already begun transforming various industries, including the creative and financial sectors.

“It was quite striking to me recently that films can now be produced using AI systems at a rate of 470 films per day. I believe that if we look at the number of workers who could be lost in the industrial world, it will be massive,” Erick stated.

He cited the financial sector, specifically accounting and data analysis, as areas increasingly assisted by AI. He noted that a similar trend is affecting the profession of data scientists.

“Currently, in terms of accounting, the need for data analysis has significantly decreased due to the presence of AI,” said Erick.

“This includes data scientists, which were previously considered ‘future jobs’ in high demand. Now, in the United States, companies like OpenAI and Meta have laid off thousands of data scientists because they are being replaced by AI systems,” he added.

Erick described this phenomenon as a massive migration within the global workforce. He emphasised that this situation presents a serious challenge for the younger generation.

“This is an extraordinary migration. Inevitably, for the youth, this will become a highly complex issue regarding the labour force,” he concluded.