Free Nutritious Meal Programme Considers AI Adoption and Expansion to Tuberculosis Patients

The Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme, a flagship initiative of President Prabowo Subianto, is preparing a roadmap for the utilisation of artificial intelligence (AI). The government plans to integrate AI into various ministerial and regional government programmes throughout 2026-2029. This forms part of a strategy to accelerate national economic growth. The government believes AI utilisation could increase Indonesia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by up to 12 per cent, or approximately USD 366 billion, by 2030. The draft regulation on AI utilisation is currently awaiting President Prabowo Subianto’s approval. Besides driving economic growth, the government is also targeting an increase in Indonesia’s competitiveness in AI utilisation at both regional and global levels. Implementing AI technology into various national strategic programmes, including MBG, requires a budget of USD 15 billion, or Rp 269.3 trillion (at an exchange rate of USD 1 = Rp 17,955). The AI adoption will be used to design menus according to regional characteristics, monitor kitchen hygiene, estimate food requirements, detect irregularities, and integrate health data to provide early warnings in emergency conditions. The government is collaborating with several global technology companies such as Meta, IBM, and Microsoft to draft the national AI regulation. Microsoft previously announced an investment of USD 1.7 billion for cloud services and AI development in Indonesia. Nevertheless, some circles believe Indonesia still faces major challenges in becoming a key player in AI development. Infrastructure limitations, including the availability of chips and computing centres, as well as a shortage of AI talent, are obstacles that must be addressed immediately. Separately, Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has put forward a new proposal regarding the targets of the MBG programme. The minister wants tuberculosis (TBC) patients in Indonesia to be included in the list of priority groups receiving these nutritious meals. This proposal is based on the grim fact that Indonesia still records around one million tuberculosis cases each year. The mortality rate is also significant, reaching 160,000 deaths per year. “There are 1 million people sick with tuberculosis in Indonesia every year. 160,000 die, so every five minutes, two people die,” the Health Minister stated after the launch of The Lancet Regional Health-Western Pacific Commission at the Ministry of Health building in South Jakarta on Monday (22/6/2026). However, the minister’s proposal was questioned by Commission IX member of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Nurhadi. “I understand that TB patients need good nutritional support for their treatment to be successful. But the question is, does the Ministry of Health already have a comprehensive study regarding the budget requirements?” Nurhadi told reporters on Wednesday (24/6/2026).