Jakarta, June 4 -- Indonesia is stepping up its regional leadership by intensifying cross-border collaboration to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) across Southeast Asia.

Speaking at the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the ASEAN Foundation in Jakarta on Thursday, Indonesian Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Nezar Patria announced a major expansion of the AI Ready ASEAN initiative.

The newly signed pact targets the training of an additional 250,000 digital talents in AI through online modules, in-person workshops and digital awareness campaigns.

"I believe the AI Ready ASEAN program is crucial, reflecting the need for strong cooperation among ASEAN countries to advance the ado...