MALANG – The Ministry of Communication and Digital affairs (Komdigi) has successfully empowered dozens of future-ready digital talents through the Artificial Intelligence Talent Factory (AITF) program. In collaboration with Universitas Brawijaya (UB), Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), and Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), the initiative has yielded various AI-based innovations poised to support the government's strategic programs, ranging from education to social assistance distribution.
The Head of the Digital Communication and Human Resources Development Agency at Komdigi, Bonifasius Wahyu Pudjianto, emphasized that AITF is specifically designed to bridge the gap between theory and real-world practice. Each university was challenged to solve actual public sector use cases and societal issues utilizing AI technology.
"AITF is structured so that students do not just learn the technology theoretically. Instead, they are empowered to create, develop, test, and deliver AI solutions that provide tangible benefits to the community and public services," Bonifasius stated during the AI Talent Factory Demo Day and Graduation event at Universitas Brawijaya on Tuesday (June 30, 2026).
For the 2026 cohort, the development of AI solutions spans across three major campuses:
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Universitas Brawijaya (UB): Developing learning applications for Sekolah Rakyat (public community schools) and data processing systems for social assistance (bansos) recipients to be utilized by the East Java Provincial Government.
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Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS): Focusing on innovative child protection technologies within the digital space.
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Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM): Building media analytics systems to support the strategic operational needs of the Ministry of Komdigi.
The Rector of Universitas Brawijaya, Prof. Widodo, expressed his deepest appreciation for the trust placed in UB by the Ministry of Komdigi and the Ministry of Social Affairs. He remains optimistic that the AI solutions crafted by these students will drive new efficiencies into government programs.
"With AI, the distribution of social assistance is expected to be far more targeted, backed by a highly accurate data processing system," Prof. Widodo explained.
In addition to validating social assistance data, the innovations developed by UB students will be directly implemented across 196 Sekolah Rakyat currently being expanded by the government. This step is expected to boost the quality of learning, making it more effective and efficient, while serving as a crucial asset in developing Indonesia's superior human resources.
As a brief background, Universitas Brawijaya served as the pioneer for the AITF pilot project back in 2025, which initially involved 34 students focusing on strengthening the digital talent pool and digital monitoring systems.