The Directorate General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology (Ditjen Diktiristek) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) is working with a tech company to develop Indonesian digital talents in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The cooperation is stated in a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed by both parties through a virtual ceremony. This collaboration is an effort made by the Directorate General of Higher Education to accelerate the growth of AI talent in Indonesia.
The scope of the collaboration includes improving the competence of human resources at Indonesian universities, through various activities such as AI skills training for lecturers and students, AI curriculum development in universities, translation workshops and research discussions, as well as development and support for the AI startup ecosystem.
Acting (Plt.) Director-General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology Nizam said, the Directorate General of Higher Education is committed to improving the quality of human resources (HR) of higher education, especially in the field of digital technology. This is in line with President Joko Widodo’s direction to prepare millions of Indonesian digital talents to respond to digital transformation.
It is important for us to ensure that our young generation can face this era of the industrial revolution 4.0, especially with the competencies of AI, machine learning, deep learning, and other fields that this industry needs.
– Nizam, Acting (Plt.) Director-General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology
On the same occasion, Plt. Secretary of the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research and Technology Tjitjik Srie Tjahjandarie said that the process of signing this cooperation agreement was the first step to prepare the next generation who are ready to compete and contribute to the development of technology-based multidisciplinary education in Indonesia. Through this program, it is hoped that the development of technology-based education can be evenly distributed in all universities in Indonesia.
This cooperation agreement can be a motivation to develop the abilities of students and alumni as well as the quality of lecturers and teaching staff in universities. In addition, through this development, a superior university curriculum can be created and is suitable for facing challenges in the changing industry 5.0 and 6.0.
Everyone should understand the implications and impact of AI, regardless of the field of study they study because AI can change almost any sector of the economy. The challenge is, not only do people have to focus on science, but people have to bring awareness about AI more broadly across sectors and industries.
As reported by OpenGov Asia, the Minister of Communications and Informatics Johnny G. Plate encourages everyone to continue to improve their quality of life in line with the projected number and types of new jobs due to technology adoption. It is projected that there will be 85 million old jobs that may be lost and 97 million new jobs that may appear, this is due to the division of labour between humans, machines and algorithms. The new jobs require a high level of digital skills and soft skills.
A report shows that in 2025 there will be 43% of industry players who reduce or reduce the number of workers as a consequence of the application of technology integration. Increasing digital skills and soft skills in line with technological developments for the workforce, especially the younger generation of Indonesia, can be done through upskilling and reskilling.
In addition, the Government has also carried out massive infrastructure development, especially in the first period of President Joko Widodo’s leadership. According to the Minister of Communication and Informatics, entering the current era of digital transformation, the development of digital infrastructure has been and is being accelerated by the Government and its partners and needs to be balanced with improving the quality of human resources.
