“Indonesia is committed to encouraging collaboration with the Global South. In a meeting with the UNESCO Director-General, we are being asked to take a leading role in the dialogue,” Patria noted in a statement on Wednesday.
He also reaffirmed this commitment during meetings with Irene Jay Liu, Director of AI, Emerging Tech & Regulation, International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM) APAC; Maia Fortes, Executive Director of the Associação de Jornalismo Digital (Ajor) Brasil; and Michael Markovitz, Head of GIBS Media Leadership Think Tank South Africa.
The deputy minister announced that Indonesia has proposed to host the UNESCO Global Forum for Ethics of AI in 2026.
At the forum, Patria plans to recommend a meeting of Global South countries to specifically discuss AI sovereignty and the role of journalism amid AI disruption.
“We need a strong political will from countries of the Global South. We must sit together and engage in dialogue with tech giants to realize a healthy and equitable digital ecosystem, including for quality journalism,” he remarked.
He also shared outcomes of his recent meeting with UN Technology Envoy Amandeep Singh Gill, where the discussion emphasized the urgency of closer cooperation among developing countries on global AI regulation.
Globally, Patria stated that AI regulations are currently being discussed in developed countries. For instance, in the US, through presidential decrees, or early legislative efforts, like the AI Act in the European Union and policies in South Korea.
Meanwhile, Global South countries are seen as lacking a strong advocacy space. Hence, strengthening collaboration is crucial to ensure developing countries’ involvement in responding to the progress and development of AI at the regional level.
“To date, we have no permanent regulation on AI. This is an opportunity for Global South countries to formulate a position, especially on digital sovereignty collectively,” Patria emphasized.
Responding to an initiative from the South African delegation, he also highlighted the importance of utilizing global forums, including the M20 Forum, a Communications Ministers’ Meeting of the G20 member countries, scheduled next year.
“The M20 Forum brings a valuable opportunity. However, we need more than political statements. We must realize a real commitment, for example, establishing a secretariat or a permanent forum to collectively voice our position on addressing the unequal digital ecosystem,” he emphasized.
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Translator: Livia Kristianti, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Primayanti
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