A draft presidential regulation would apply AI to menu planning, hygiene monitoring and fraud detection in the meals program, while officials project broader economic gains and critics warn of execution risks.
Indonesia is preparing a presidential regulation to integrate artificial intelligence into major government programs, including its $15 billion free nutritious meals initiative. The draft, which awaits President Prabowo Subianto’s signature, lays out a 2026-2029 adoption roadmap for ministries and regional governments, with officials projecting AI could add 12% to GDP, or about $366 billion, by the end of the decade. Within the meals program, known as MBG, AI would be used to tailor menus to regional nutrition needs, monitor kitchen hygiene, forecast short-term food demand, detect spending irregularities and feed health data into early-warning systems. The push comes as MBG faces governance and safety concerns, including the firing and arrest of its head earlier this month and food poisoning cases affecting tens of thousands of children last year. Meta Platforms, IBM and Microsoft contributed to the draft, and Microsoft separately committed $1.7 billion in 2024 to expand cloud and AI infrastructure in Indonesia. Officials also say AI monitoring of social aid programs could save $10 billion to $15 billion, though analysts and watchdogs warn infrastructure gaps, uneven digital skills and reliance on foreign providers could slow implementation.