UNESCO and the Communications, Information and Crypto Office, Aceh (Diskominsa) hold co-creation workshop on AI Literacy

Thirty civil servants participated in an AI literacy workshop delivered by UNESCO experts in Banda Aceh, the capital city of Aceh province, from 15-17 October. Using a co-creation approach, UNESCO is keen to hear the lived perspectives of civil servants out of the Jakarta metropolitan area.

This is the second time UNESCO regional office in Jakarta has engaged with Acehnese partners on ethical AI. In 2024, the Ministry of Communications and Informatics conducted the national AI assessment using UNESCO's methodology and the first of five regional policy consultations was held in Banda Aceh at the Universitas Syiah Kualah campus. During the consultations, participants highlighted the urban-rural digital gap in competency and access, as well as the need for coordinated action from the national government. By returning to Banda Aceh for the AI literacy workshop, UNESCO aims to follow up on the policy recommendations of the national AI readiness report and address the specific needs and priorities of civil servants in the region.

Over the two-day workshop, participants attended eight modules covering a rich scope of content ranging from types of AI systems to global and regional governance frameworks, as well as the risks and opportunities for using AI in public service. They also engaged in discussions on use cases for AI in Indonesia and gave feedback on the course content for future integration into Indonesia's civil servants' training frameworks.

The course was delivered by two experts, Dr. Hammam Riza (Indonesia) and Dr Aini Suzana binti Ariffin (Malaysia) both of whom are members of UNESCO's international AI Experts without Borders network. Representatives from KemenPMK also participated in the workshop.