Today at its first AI Policy and Skilling Lab event attended by more than 80 government officials, Google announced strategic initiatives with the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN), Indonesia’s primary cyber defence and cybersecurity government agency, as well as nonprofits and social enterprises, to create a more resilient digital ecosystem in Indonesia. These initiatives will provide cybersecurity training programs and AI-powered cybersecurity tools, helping public sector entities, businesses, and citizens to continue realizing the benefits of digital transformation while protecting them against cybercrime and malicious cyberattacks.

Led by Google, the Center for Digital Society (CfDS), and the Artificial Intelligence Industry Research and Innovation Collaboration (KORIKA), the AI Policy and Skilling Lab aims to provide Indonesian policymakers with frameworks and best practices to help them embrace AI's transformative potential. Through monthly think tank discussions, it brings together industry experts, policymakers, and other stakeholders to exchange ideas, debate emerging issues, and develop informed policy recommendations geared toward promoting the secure and responsible application of AI in Indonesia.

Leaders from Google, BSSN, KORIKA, and CfDS at the AI Policy and Skilling Lab event.
(L-R) Awaludin Marwan, KORIKA representative; Randy Jusuf, Managing Director, Google Indonesia; Inspector General of Police Dono Indarto, Deputy for Cyber and Crypto Strategy and Policy, BSSN; Fanly Tanto, Country Director, Indonesia, Google Cloud; ⁠⁠Iradat Wirid, Deputy Executive Secretary, CfDS

“For decades, cybersecurity has been an uneven playing field. Attackers need only one successful intrusion while defenders are under immense pressure to deploy the best defences at all times across an increasingly complex digital terrain. This is called the ‘Defender's Dilemma,’ and we believe that advancements in AI can reverse this dynamic,” said Putri Alam, Director, Government Affairs and Public Policy, Google Indonesia. “The adoption of AI-powered cybersecurity tools—combined with the skills required to use these tools—has the potential to reduce cybercrime-related costs for Indonesian businesses and individuals by up to IDR 1,365 trillion by 2030. We’re proud to be deepening our commitment toward securing and advancing Indonesia’s digital future, by collaborating with BSSN and many others on AI security training programs and delivering new capabilities for defenders.

Building Advanced Cybersecurity Competencies and Capabilities for The Public Sector
The first initiative involves BSSN and Google Cloud’s strategic collaboration across three pillars to build advanced cybersecurity competencies and capabilities for Indonesia’s public sector. These include:

• Nurturing national cybersecurity specialists: Google is providing 1,000 Google Cybersecurity Certificate scholarships to BSSN officials or other government officials selected by BSSN, equipping them with skills to protect networks, devices, people, and data from external threats and unauthorized access. Designed by Google experts, this professional certification can be completed online with under six months of part-time study, allowing government officials with no prior experience to pivot into cybersecurity analyst roles.

• Sharing best-in-class threat intelligence: Mandiant (part of Google Cloud) will continuously share its industry-leading, frontline threat intelligence with BSSN’s cybersecurity teams, allowing them to understand new and prevalent tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by cybercriminals and state-sponsored threat actors targeting public sector entities.

• Joint capacity building with AI for cybersecurity: Drawing on Google’s Secure AI Framework (SAIF) and Roadmap for Reversing the Defender’s Dilemma, BSSN and Google Cloud will engage in joint capacity building. This involves the development and implementation of next-generation cloud-based solutions that combine automation, analytics, threat intelligence, and AI to rapidly detect, investigate, and defend against cyber attacks on critical national infrastructure. Critical national infrastructure is assets that are essential for the functioning of society, such as those associated with energy supply, water supply, transportation, healthcare, and telecommunications.

Inspector General of Police Dono Indarto, Deputy for Cyber and Crypto Strategy and Policy, BSSN, said: “At BSSN, we share Google’s belief that AI presents policymakers, industry professionals, and civil society with the opportunity to tilt the cybersecurity balance from attackers to defenders and build a safer cyberspace for everyone. Where threat actors are already experimenting with AI, we must keep pace—or even get ahead—by strengthening the ability of our human resources to innovate with and utilize this technology. This collaboration between the government and a leading industry player like Google, in areas like providing Google Cybersecurity Certificate scholarships to government officials and engaging in threat information exchange and joint capacity building, will help us maximize the use of AI to give our defenders the upper hand while limiting the technology’s utility to our adversaries.”

Cultivating The Next Generation of Cybersecurity Talent from Underserved Communities
Additionally, with support from Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, The Asia Foundation will be working with implementing partners Association of Women's Resource Development Centers (PPSW), the Association for Advancement of Small Business (PUPUK), and the Muhammadiyah Economic and Entrepreneurship Council in Indonesia, with the goal of providing individuals at 70,000 local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), nonprofits, and social enterprises with cybersecurity training—including the ability to use AI-powered cybersecurity tools, so they can better defend themselves against cyber threats.

This effort is part of a US$15 million grant to support The Asia Foundation in launching the APAC Cybersecurity Fund in partnership with CyberPeace Institute and Global Cyber Alliance. This fund aims to bolster the cyber capabilities of 300,000 underserved organizations across 13 locations in the Asia Pacific region.

In addition to strategic initiatives with BSSN, nonprofits, and social enterprises, Google Cloud has made cybersecurity and AI skills development training options accessible to all Indonesians through the Google Cloud Skills Boost Program. This includes courses that are available at no cost, such as the Cloud Digital Leader Learning Path, the Introduction to Generative AI Learning Path, and the Preparing for Your Professional Cloud Security Engineer Journey course, alongside gamified learning experiences via The Arcade. Regardless of whether they are executive-level, an IT decision-maker, in a non-technical role, or a technical practitioner, individuals can now seize the opportunity to build and demonstrate their proficiency in in-demand cybersecurity and AI skills to prospective employers.