Indonesia Reimagining The State

2026-07-08 · Source: Insights | Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) · Field: Government & Public Sector — Digital Government & E-Government, Public Policy & Governance, Social Services & Welfare · Depth: Fundamental Awareness, short

Summary

Indonesia's government is actively reimagining its state to meet rising citizen expectations in the Age of AI, as discussed by Tony Blair with President Prabowo Subianto. The nation, home to over 280 million people, is focusing on prevention and personalization to transform public services. A key initiative is the Banyuwangi digital social assistance pilot in East Java, which has registered over 55 percent of households and enabled more than 9,000 people to correct inaccurate information, simplifying access to crucial support. This pilot is informing a broader whole-of-government effort to build digital public infrastructure, integrate data across ministries, and accelerate digital ID adoption. The goal is to move from reactive problem-solving to proactive prevention, particularly in healthcare, and to tailor government systems to individual needs, offering a potential model for global governance.

Key takeaway

For government leaders tasked with modernizing public services, this analysis underscores that AI demands a fundamental reimagining of the state, not just incremental efficiency. You should prioritize developing integrated digital public infrastructure and robust data systems to enable preventative healthcare and personalized social assistance. This strategic investment will allow your administration to meet rising citizen expectations and potentially establish a global model for effective AI-driven governance.

Key insights

Governments must reimagine the state using AI for prevention and personalization to meet citizen expectations.

Principles

• AI demands governments shift from reactive to preventative services.
• Personalization is key to effective, citizen-centric public systems.
• Digital public infrastructure underpins successful AI integration.

Method

The Banyuwangi pilot involved building online eligibility checks and application tracking, integrating data across agencies, and accelerating digital ID adoption for social assistance.

In practice

• Implement online eligibility checks for social programs.
• Integrate cross-ministry data for unified citizen profiles.
• Accelerate digital ID rollout for public service access.

Topics

• AI Governance
• Digital Public Infrastructure
• Public Service Personalization
• Preventative Health Systems
• Indonesia Digital Strategy
• Social Assistance Reform

Best for: Executive, Policy Maker, Consultant, Domain Expert

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Insights | Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI).