Komdigi Says Social Assistance for 50 Million Indonesians to Be Distributed Using AI

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology will be used to distribute social assistance (bansos), targeting 50 million recipients.

Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid explained that the government plans to implement digital intervention through the social assistance programme. A trial has previously been conducted in Banyuwangi, East Java. She claimed the adoption will be one of the world’s largest digital financial inclusion initiatives.

“Because the number of recipients is approximately 18 million families, equivalent to 50 million Indonesians,” Meutya said at the Digital Ecosystem Alignment (DEAL) 2026 event in Jakarta, Tuesday (23/6/2026). “And once it is successfully adopted, this will be one of the first in the world,” she added.

The idea of using AI for social assistance distribution was previously raised by the Chairman of the National Economic Council (DEN), Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan. Utilising this technology can improve state budget efficiency and ensure aid is more accurately targeted. In the future, social assistance will no longer focus on distributing goods, but on individuals who are genuinely in need, based on government data calculations and mapping.

“So, for example, if this social assistance is on target, and then we no longer provide subsidies for goods, but subsidies for people calculated by the Minister of Social Affairs, that is approximately IDR 5.4 million,” Luhut said during a speech at the Indonesia Ethical AI Summit in Jakarta, Wednesday (17/6/2026).