The Nusantara AI Festival marks the culmination of the AIleap Nusantara program, which for the past two years has promoted training and equitable AI literacy in Indonesia's underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost regions (locally known as the abbreviation 3T).

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – PT Fokus Target Solusi and Microsoft Elevate successfully brought together hundreds of digital talents, both offline and online, from various regions in Indonesia at the Nusantara AI Festival to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the sectors of education, MSMEs, and especially the creative economy.

The festival, held at the Garuda Spark Innovation Hub (Ganara Art), Fx. Sudirman, Jakarta, on Wednesday (June 17), culminated in a celebration of the collaboration between humans as pilots and AI as co-pilots.

The event also marked the culmination of the AILeap Nusantara program, which has been promoting AI training and literacy across Indonesia's underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost regions (locally known as the abbreviation 3T), for the past two years.

"Humans remain the primary driver, while AI is a tool that strengthens their ability to create, innovate, and create. By empowering local talent through technology, we can deliver innovations that have a real impact on economic growth and public welfare," Teuku Riefky Harsya, Indonesia’s Minister of Creative Economy said.

Supported and attended by officials from the Ministry of Creative Economy, the Ministry of Communication and Digital, Indonesia's largest AI community, the AICO Community, and Lenovo Indonesia, the Nusantara AI Festival highlighted the importance of AI as a driver of national competitiveness, especially in the increasing need for AI skills in the workforce.

This full support shows a shared commitment to encouraging the development of digital talent and the impactful use of technology for society.

The event was also designed to ensure that Indonesians are not only users of technology but also able to advance as creators of AI-based innovations.

Furthermore, the use of AI is expected to be a key driver of productivity in Indonesia's digital economy and support the advancement of the creative industry and MSMEs.

Emphasizing this vision of inclusivity, Fima Rosyidah, Director of PT Fokus Target Solusi, stated, "gaps in access to technology should not hinder the emergence of innovators from the regions. Therefore, we want AI to be accessible to everyone, from students to MSMEs in the 3T (frontier and outermost) regions".

"Through the concept of humans as Pilots and AI as Copilots, together with Microsoft, we want to educate everyone that they have full control in AI collaborations to create works and added value that have a direct impact on Indonesia's economic growth," she added.

By reaching remote areas of the country through AIleap Nusantara as the foundation of the Nusantara AI Festival, the AIleap Nusantara program is designed with a comprehensive curriculum to improve the community's AI skills.

To date, the AIleap Nusantara program has reached more than 100,000 participants from at least 12 provinces across Indonesia. Of these participants, over 50,000 have earned AI literacy skills certificates from Microsoft.

This commitment to inclusivity, not only focused on urban centers, but also through face-to-face training held in North Maluku, targeting MSMEs in the 3T (Underdeveloped, Frontier, and Outermost) areas.

The event was also attended by the Governor of North Maluku Province, Sherly Tjoanda, who expressed her appreciation and motivated the participants to go further by leveraging the power of AI to develop their businesses.

The birth of new innovators at the AI ​​talent challenge

The festival series also highlighted the capabilities of local talent through the AI ​​Talent Challenge competition. The competition spawned various collaborative works with AI, ranging from visual works and music to innovative solutions that address relevant challenges in today's society, such as:

● MataBumi, a web application born out of concern for natural disasters caused by forest loss in Indonesia;

● MathMentorAI, a platform designed to help students learn mathematics independently; and

● MHFA Buddy, a platform for sharing one's feelings designed as a first aid tool for maintaining the mental health of its users.

All selected finalists had the opportunity to present their innovative work to a panel of judges during the Nusantara AI Festival, which concluded with an awards ceremony for the most innovative and creative work.

Responding to this strategic collaboration, Arief Suseno, AI Skills Director, Microsoft Indonesia, emphasized, "Microsoft's core vision is to empower every person and organization to achieve more".

"Our collaboration with PT. Fokus Target Solusi through AIleap Nusantara and the Nusantara AI Festival is a concrete step forward for us in Indonesia. We are very proud to be able to provide the right platform and skills so that our creative industry players and MSMEs are ready to make AI their mainstay companion in navigating the digital economy," he explained.

In the future, PT Fokus Target Solusi and Microsoft Elevate are committed to continuing to develop a new generation of AI talent capable of competing globally.

About PT. Fokus Target Solusi

PT Fokus Target Solusi is a digital marketing agency and strategic business consultant based on cutting-edge technology.

Led by communications and marketing practitioners with over 20 years of experience, the company has collaborated with various leading global technology companies.

PT Fokus Target Solusi provides comprehensive services in IT, Public Relations (PR), and digital marketing to help clients exceed their business goals.

Carrying the concept of ’Human as Pilot, AI as Copilot,’ the culmination of the celebration of human-AI collaboration was held to welcome the birth of local innovators from various backgrounds, even from remote areas.

Reporting by Indonesia Window