JAKARTA - Indonesia is the largest archipelago country in the world, and the largest nation in Southeast Asia, with over 17,500 islands and 274 million people. It is rich in culture, with a young population and a thriving economy, Southeast Asia’s largest.

Like many other countries, Indonesia came late to the artificial intelligence (AI) bash. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the archipelago to embrace its options to force a way out of the ensuing chaos. Two years ago, the Indonesian government introduced The Vision of Indonesia 2045, a blueprint for the country to develop AI between 2020 and 2045.¹The country will focus its AI projects on education and research, health services, bureaucratic reform, food security, mobility, and smart cities, said Bambang Brodjonegoro, head of the national research and innovation agency.

The president is optimistic Indonesia will become the world’s fourth- or fifth-largest economy by 2045.²With a national AI strategy set in place, Indonesia can expect the technology to contribute US$366 billion to its gross domestic product (GDP) within 10 years.³

AI is making a huge impact in the healthcare field. The market valued at US$8.23 billion in 2020 is set to reach US$194.4 billion by 2030, with 38.1 percent compound annual growth from 2021 to 2030.⁴AI’s healthcare applications vary from improving disease therapy and diagnosis, to reducing medical errors, improving diagnostic tools, drug development, improving electronic health records, to advancing immunotherapy for cancer patients, making medical devices and machines smarter, and monitoring patient care.^4,5

Tech startups have been instrumental in helping fight the pandemic, and Indonesia is no different. They have been around for years but not until COVID-19 did the potential of these newcomers come to the fore and gain wider attention.

Alodokter, launched in 2