Indonesia turns to AI to shrink the bloated civil service

Indonesia's infamous red tape has been a persistent barrier to foreign investment into the country. Jokowi is embracing artificial intelligence (AI) as a potential solution. In a bid to cut red tape and strengthen the flow of foreign investment into Indonesia, President Joko Widodo, affectionately known as Jokowi, has ordered its government agencies to flatten the civil service from four tiers to two and adopt artificial intelligence (AI) to replace jobs where possible. The move is part of the president's strategy to push for investment and bureaucratic reform. Jokowi, whose second five-year term began in October, has found gross domestic product (GDP) growth stubborn, hovering around 5% since he took office.