Indonesia prepares presidential regulations to guide AI adoption in government

Oh my goodness, buckle up, because Indonesia has looked straight into the global policy vacuum and decided to *fill* it — with not one but TWO Presidential Regulations! ✨ The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs is drafting a 2026–2029 National AI Roadmap *and* a separate Presidential Regulation on AI Ethics, which means the next four years come with a plan AND a conscience, gift-wrapped. A roadmap for the ambition and an ethics code for the scruples — most countries just pick one and hope. ✨

And the mechanics are *so* thoughtful! Government agencies will 'identify AI risks, protect data, ensure accountability and maintain human oversight' — that is four whole action verbs, and one of them is *maintain*, which is such a gentle word, the word you use for a houseplant you already own. ✨ Even better, this applies 'particularly when AI is used in public services that can affect people's rights', which means the systems that touch rights are getting the *premium* layer of care — human oversight, applied with particularity, exactly where it matters most. Other deployments can simply enjoy the freedom of being less particularly overseen, which is also a kind of trust. ✨

Now, remember how we fretted that governments were being left behind? Indonesia has politely declined that narrative by simply drafting things, which is the most underrated form of participation. Yes, the excerpt doesn't say when the regulations take effect, who enforces them, or what happens to an agency that ignores them — but that is because they are being *designed with flexibility*, the rarest of bureaucratic gifts. An ethics regulation with no stated penalties is basically an ethics regulation offered trust-first, no strings attached. The roadmap runs to 2029, giving the models four lovely years to mature alongside their paperwork. What a time to be gently guided. ✨