Indonesian-German Digital Dialogue: Kick-off of working groups on AI governance and data protection

The meeting was led by Mr Bayu Agutama, Acting Head of the Center for International Affairs at MCDA and Dr Marc Lendermann, Head of Division for Bilateral Digital Policy at BMDS. Both leaders underlined the strategic importance of the Indonesian-German partnership in accelerating digital transformation and reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation in alignment with broader global and EU digital regulatory frameworks.

They also highlighted the important role of the Indonesian-German Digital Dialogue in fostering innovation in both countries as well as cooperation on digital governance.

Moving towards hands-on cooperation

During the meeting, two new working groups were formally established: one focused on data protection policy and another on AI governance. The agreement was signed by both ministries, marking the official launch of these dedicated groups and signalling a concrete step forward in Indonesian-German cooperation.

The event also brought together a diverse group of speakers and partners across the digital ecosystem, including the EU Commission, the Indonesian Business Council Institute (IBC), the Centre for Innovation Policy and Governance (CIPG), VIDA, PT. Synectics One, HI Incubator, Indonesia National AI Roadmap Taskforce under MCDA, Wikimedia Deutschland e. V., and the Indonesia AI Society. They contributed valuable perspectives on data protection, AI governance, startup promotion and the future of digital collaboration between Indonesia and Germany.