Presidential Regulation on AI: Guidelines and National Roadmap in Progress
Government moves to formalize AI use across sectors, with media and public communication in focus
The Ministry of Communication and Digital is preparing national guidelines and a roadmap for artificial intelligence use to be set as a Presidential Regulation. The draft is under discussion at the Ministry of Law.
Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Nezar Patria shared the update after a discussion titled "Media Connect: From Fast to Accurate-Responding to AI at the Editorial Desk" in Bandung, West Java, Thursday (27/11/2025). The event gathered students, community groups, and journalists, with key inputs from the Director General of Digital Ecosystem Edwin Hidayat Abdullah, Kompas Daily Editor-in-Chief Haryo Damardono, and Creative Advisor/AI Specialist Motulz Anto.
Key updates
Nezar emphasized that the government has prepared AI use guidelines and ethics, alongside a national roadmap. These documents are being set as Presidential Regulations. He noted AI adoption has surged and is now embedded in editorial workflows to improve efficiency and output quality.
"These two documents are being prepared to become Presidential Regulations and are currently still under discussion at the Ministry of Law," said Nezar. He added that AI use in newsrooms is allowed and depends on each editorial policy. In practice, AI use is difficult to avoid.
Deepfakes, misinformation, and platform coordination
The government is concerned about misinformation, disinformation, and deepfake content generated by AI. The Ministry has coordinated with digital platforms to curb distribution of such content. "We urge that the use of AI be regulated through an internal editorial code of ethics and by adhering to the guidelines established by the Press Council," Nezar said.
For reference, see the Ministry of Communication and Digital and the Press Council for official updates and guidance.
Editorial perspective on guardrails
Kompas Daily Editor-in-Chief Haryo Damardono stated that AI use must be regulated to prevent bias and hoaxes. Kompas Gramedia has had AI use regulations since 2023, with the Circular Letter of the Minister of Communication and Information Number 9 of 2023 on AI Ethics serving as a reference.
"Kompas' guidelines on AI are a reference for information production, reporting, and knowledge development," Haryo said. He added that misuse by journalists will result in strict sanctions. The principle remains clear: journalists are accountable for the truth. "People with a mobile phone can take pictures, but that does not necessarily make them a photographer. The same goes for writing-journalism requires accountability," he said.
What government offices and public media units can do now
- Set an internal AI policy: Define approved tools, use cases, human-in-the-loop review, and prohibited uses (e.g., synthetic media without disclosure).
- Align with external standards: Map your policy to Press Council guidance and upcoming Presidential Regulations for consistency across teams.
- Protect data and sources: Classify data, restrict sharing with third-party models, and require consent and disclosure when using generative tools.
- Add verification steps: Use fact-checking workflows and deepfake detection for visuals and audio-especially before publication or public briefings.
- Maintain audit trails: Log prompts, model versions, edits, and reviewers. Keep human accountability on final outputs.
- Coordinate with platforms: Establish contacts and escalation paths for takedown requests and rapid response during content spikes.
- Train staff: Teach both safe use and failure modes of AI (hallucinations, bias, privacy risks). Run red-team tests for sensitive scenarios.
- Label synthetic content: Disclose AI-assisted material where relevant; use visual/audio markers or captions to avoid misleading the public.
- Prepare incident playbooks: Define steps for detecting, contesting, and correcting AI-driven hoaxes, including public communication templates.
What's next
Once finalized, the Presidential Regulation will set a national baseline for AI use. Agencies and editorial rooms should move now to align internal policies, tighten verification processes, and build response capacity for AI-generated hoaxes and deepfakes.
For structured upskilling on AI uses by role, see AI courses by job.
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