Minister of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Maman Abdurrahman, revealed a significant gap in the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the MSME sector. Although the national AI usage rate has reached 92 percent, in reality, more than 90 percent of MSME actors in the country have not yet integrated the technology into their business operations.
In the forum National Policy Convening Indonesia: Charting the Blueprint for AI-Inclusive Indonesia, Maman emphasized that conventional patterns are no longer relevant for managing tens of millions of MSMEs in Indonesia. Digital transformation through AI is now considered an imperative to boost efficiency, productivity, and the competitiveness of business actors amid increasingly fierce global economic competition.
As a concrete step, the government is designing an integrated platform called Sapa UMKM. This application is projected to become a data center as well as a public service channel that integrates various strategic government programs, such as the distribution of People's Business Credit (KUR), the Free Nutritious Meal program, as well as access to training, financing, and marketing within an efficient single digital ecosystem.
In addition to ease of service access, the government is also providing an incentive in the form of a 50 percent reduction in marketplace service fees for micro and small business actors registered in the Sapa UMKM system. This policy is expected to reduce operational burdens while encouraging business actors to immediately transition to the provided digital ecosystem.
Furthermore, the Ministry of MSMEs plans to strengthen collaboration with universities to establish business incubators. This program will be directly connected to the Sapa UMKM platform to ensure business actors receive comprehensive technical mentoring to make optimal use of AI technology in the future.
