Telkom and Media Accelerate Digital Talent through Strengthening AI Ecosystem on Campus
PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (Telkom) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem as part of efforts to accelerate Indonesia’s digital transformation. One such initiative is realised through collaboration with Katadata Indonesia in the Data Unboxed @Campus programme titled Strengthening Indonesia’s AI Ecosystem: From Campus Innovation to National Impact, held at the Auditorium of the University of Udayana, Bali, on Friday (10/4/2026).
The event featured interactive discussions with industry professionals and students to broaden insights into the utilisation of AI in enhancing talent, developing innovation, and accelerating the national AI ecosystem collaboratively between campuses and industry.
This forum is part of Telkom’s initiative to strengthen the national digital ecosystem through an end-to-end approach, from talent development and research to the implementation of real AI-based solutions across various sectors from upstream to downstream. This initiative aligns with Telkom’s role as an enabler of Indonesia’s digital transformation, continuously promoting technology utilisation to improve the nation’s competitiveness and impact the growth of the digital economy.
Rector of the University of Udayana, I Ketut Sudarsana, emphasised that the utilisation of AI needs to be promoted inclusively across all fields. The application of AI is not limited to the technology sector, while remaining rooted in local wisdom to strengthen national identity and competitiveness.
He stated that such efforts require integrated multi-stakeholder collaboration between industry, government, and academia to deliver tangible impacts through strengthened research and sustainable co-creation.
AI Drives Economic Growth
VP of Corporate Communication at Telkom, Andri Herawan Sasoko, emphasised that AI has now become a strategic foundation in driving economic growth and digital transformation. According to him, AI is no longer just a future technology but the main enabler that determines national competitiveness.
“Telkom views the strengthening of the AI ecosystem as something that must be done collaboratively, with campuses as centres of innovation and talent, and industry as an accelerator of implementation so that its benefits can be widely felt by society,” said Andri.
Andri also stressed the importance of nurturing AI talent and building an inclusive and sustainable ecosystem. He said that synergy between technology, infrastructure, data access, and talent readiness is key to creating relevant AI-based solutions. Therefore, collaboration with universities is a strategic step in ensuring the availability of adaptive, competitive digital talent ready to meet future industry needs.
AI as a Digital Solution
In the panel session, the discussion featured Telkom’s VP of Corporate Communication Andri Herawan Sasoko, EGM Digital Product Telkom Komang Budi Aryasa, along with Lecturer and AI Practitioner I Putu Agus Eka Darma from Udayana as a representative from academia. The discussion delved into real AI implementations in industry, digital talent readiness, and the importance of integrating campus research with market needs so that every innovation presented is on target and can be optimally commercialised.
In the discussion session, Komang explained how Telkom implements AI concretely through various digital solutions, while strengthening its capabilities through the Telkom AI Centre of Excellence (AI CoE), supported by five pillars executed through a pentahelix collaboration approach.
The first pillar, AI Campus, serves as “upstream” with a focus on research, learning, and AI competency development in the academic environment. The other pillars function as “downstream”, namely AI Playground for rapid testing and prototype development, AI Connect to strengthen collaboration networks between campuses, communities, government, and industry, AI Hub as a centre for sharing use cases and ready-to-implement AI solutions, and AI Native as the foundation for applying AI in TelkomGroup’s internal operations.
“Telkom has developed various AI use cases integrated with data platforms and digital services, from business analytics to data-based decision-making. Through the AI Centre of Excellence, we are building end-to-end capabilities, from data and models to deployment, so that AI does not stop at concepts but truly delivers real value to industry and society,” said Komang.
Student involvement was a primary focus of the event. In addition to attending keynote sessions and panel discussions, students actively participated in interactive Q&A sessions, direct discussions with speakers, and exploration of case studies on AI implementation in the industrial world.
Students also gained access to the Databoks data platform from Katadata to strengthen data literacy and analytical skills, while being encouraged to understand how data and AI can be utilised in various professional fields.
As part of support for strengthening data literacy in the campus environment, Telkom together with Katadata provided assistance in the form of one desktop device unit in the University of Udayana library equipped with full access to Databoks Premium for one year, as well as subscription access for 100 students for one month. This initiative is expected to support research activities, data analysis, data-based learning, and certainly the development of AI capabilities among students and the academic community.
Through this programme, Telkom and Katadata aim to foster a more applied learning ecosystem. Students are expected not only to understand AI concepts theoretically but also to gain a real picture of implementation and career opportunities in the digital era.
Going forward, Telkom will continue to strengthen its role in developing the national AI ecosystem through infrastructure enhancement.