HANOI: Indonesia is advancing efforts to develop a low-cost, open-source large language model (LLM), positioning itself as a regional tech leader in South-East Asia, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.
The initiative is seen as Indonesia’s response to China's DeepSeek chatbot.
Luhut Pandjaitan, a senior economic advisor to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, announced at the Indonesia Economic Summit in Jakarta that a dedicated team has been formed to build the country’s own version of DeepSeek.
The yet-to-be-named chatbot, set to be presented to Prabowo early next month, will support both Indonesian and English.
Luhut did not disclose the development cost but emphasised that it was affordable.
Arsjad Rasjid, chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, urged private sector collaboration to drive AI innovation and strengthen Indonesia’s digital economy.
Indonesia is also drafting AI regulations, considering DeepSeek’s role in the digital landscape.
Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Affairs Nezar Patria stated that the chatbot would be reviewed before any decision on its regulation or potential ban.
According to last year’s e-Conomy SEA report, AI-related searches in South-East Asia surged 11 times between 2020 and 2024, reflecting strong interest from the region’s young, digital-savvy population.
The rapid growth of AI has reshaped South-East Asia’s tech sector, with Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia attracting over US$30 billion in AI-related investments in the first half of last year. - Bernama-VNA
