Luhut Reveals Why Indonesia Must Have an AI 'Holy Book', Mentions Elon
Jakarta — The Head of the National Economic Council, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has stated that Indonesia must establish a “holy book” for artificial intelligence (AI). Without such a framework, this technology currently controlled by a handful of countries and global billionaires risks becoming a catastrophe or disaster.
Luhut initially noted that AI research on a massive scale is currently being conducted by only about 10 global business figures, excluding China and the United States as nations. He mentioned names such as Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, who have poured tens of billions of dollars into developing this technology.
“So they essentially control this,” Luhut said during the launch of the National Digital Government Master Plan 2025-2045, which was broadcast on YouTube by Bappenas on Thursday, 26 February 2026.
He then questioned the state’s role amid this dominance. According to him, there is a tendency to allow AI to develop without regulation for certain interests.
“Now, where is the state? Do they want no regulation? So they can do what they want,” he emphasised.
For this reason, he stressed that Indonesia must urgently prepare strong regulation. Without rules, he warned that AI could develop beyond human control.
“We Indonesians must have regulation regarding this. Because if we don’t, I’ve been thinking, I’ve spoken with my team, one day regarding robots—because they’ve become extraordinarily intelligent and can communicate among themselves,” he said.
To this end, Luhut called for the creation of ethical guidelines and fundamental rules for AI, which he referred to as the “holy book” of AI, so that the technology has clear boundaries.
“If that happens, it is a disaster. That is why I’ve told my team that we must think about what the AI holy book should be. Humans have the Bible, we have the Quran, which govern the guidelines for our lives. AI must have one too,” he said.
He illustrated this by noting that AI should have an automatic shutdown mechanism if it violates certain rules.
“For example, if it breaches these rules, it automatically stops. Because one day, if it becomes very intelligent, even if we kill it, it will survive. This is why there must be clear rules of engagement,” he explained.
He also requested that this aspect be incorporated into the policy-making process by Bappenas in the National Digital Government Master Plan 2025-2045.
“And I think this should also be included in this process, Mr. Rahmat from Bappenas, because I believe this is very important,” he concluded.