Optimising Jakarta's Economy: Anindya Bakrie Emphasises the Importance of Applied AI and Empowering SMEs
JAKARTA, Investortrust.id – The Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), Anindya Novyan Bakrie, highlighted the urgency of developing artificial intelligence (AI) that is applied in nature to accelerate national economic growth.
In the event Dialogue on Talent Development Fireside Chat titled “Closing the AI Skills Gap: Strategies for Developing Future-Ready Workforce” organised by the Singapore Management University (SMU) in Jakarta on Tuesday (28/4/2026), Anindya emphasised that Indonesia’s large population potential must be optimised immediately to align with global economic contributions. Currently, Indonesia accounts for around 4 percent of the world’s population, but its contribution to global gross domestic product (GDP) is only about 1.3 to 1.4 percent.
Anindya views this gap as both a challenge and a significant opportunity for Indonesia to improve its economic performance. According to him, Indonesia needs to create bespoke technological solutions to address the unique challenges within the country.
The main focus in adopting this technology lies not only in the sophistication of the tools but also in how the technology can be applied practically across various productive sectors.
“AI is something new, so we must focus on its application. Indonesia has unique problems, and we need to create tailor-made solutions that fit the challenges and opportunities we face,” said Anin, Anindya Bakrie’s familiar nickname, at the forum held in the SCBD area.
The success of AI implementation in the country is considered highly dependent on the extent to which the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) sector is involved. This is because MSMEs form the backbone of the economy, absorbing around 97 percent of the national workforce. Anindya reminded that digital innovation will not have a maximum impact if it cannot reach and mobilise business actors at that scale.
“AI will only succeed to the extent that we can mobilise MSMEs,” Anin emphasised.
The link between technology and investment is also evident from the first quarter 2026 investment realisation that reached Rp500 trillion. Anindya explained that the investment was mostly dominated by small-scale projects with an average value of around Rp1.5 billion per project, covering additions of operational machinery to vehicle expansions. This phenomenon shows that current economic growth is driven by real activities at the micro and medium levels, not just giant projects.
“Many think big investments come from giant projects, but most are in the form of adding machinery, vehicles, or other small expansions,” he further explained regarding the current structure of national investment.
Looking to the future, Anindya predicts that service sectors such as finance, health, and education will be pioneers in absorbing AI innovations. These sectors are considered the most responsive to technological changes and have great potential to create broad social impacts. By integrating AI into public services and service businesses, Indonesia is expected to return to a progressive and competitive growth path on the global stage.
“In the AI era, we don’t just survive, but must return to the growth story. Service sectors like finance, health, and education are the quickest to adapt while creating innovations,” Anindya concluded his presentation.