The Grand Plan of Bakom Head Syahganda Nainggolan: Addressing AI and Algorithms

President Prabowo Subianto has inaugurated Syahganda Nainggolan and Fadli Tri Hartono as the Head and Deputy Head of the newly formed Government Communication Agency (Bakom) at the State Palace, Jakarta, on Friday (2/10/2026).

Following the inauguration, Syahganda stated that he intends to continue government communication programmes while anticipating the communication challenges of the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI). According to him, one of the primary challenges Bakom will focus on is how algorithms and AI technology influence the delivery of messages.

“Secondly, we will study algorithms. Because according to Yuval Noah Harari (the historian), the greatest challenge in communication involves algorithms, AI, and so on,” Syahganda said in a press statement.

He noted that Bakom may form a special team to study the impact of algorithms on government communication. This team will examine how algorithms can create distance or alter the transmission of the President’s thoughts to the public.

“Therefore, in addition to being assisted by our friends in the media, we are also looking ahead at this issue,” said Syahganda.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the GREAT Institute added that these challenges must be addressed because government communication is not merely about delivering programmes, but also about conveying the President’s vision to the people.

Furthermore, he plans to hold numerous meetings with the media to facilitate dialogue, ensuring a two-way communication flow.

“How the dialogue between the government and our media colleagues can ultimately deliver government messages to the public, and public messages back to the government. There will be intensive dialogue moving forward,” he said.

Syahganda also observed that in the future, the dissemination of narratives will no longer be entirely human-led but will be dominated by AI. To this end, he will strive to integrate government communication with technological advancements to ensure that the President’s messages do not suffer from distortion.

“In my view, the President’s thoughts have often been distorted. Distorted by the power of AI and digital forces,” he remarked.

Furthermore, he shared the directives provided by the President for him to carry out his duties, which involve directing communication to strengthen national unity.

“The President’s instruction to me is how to ensure that this communication serves as a tool for national unity,” he concluded.