Ministry of Culture Encourages Village Youth to Leverage AI to Strengthen Local Economy

The perspective on community empowerment was then shared by Muhammad Ikhwan AM, or Iwan Dento, an environmental activist and community-based ecotourism practitioner. He recounted his experience in organizing the community to defend the Rammang-Rammang karst area in Maros Regency, South Sulawesi, from mining plans.

Following that advocacy, the development of community-based ecotourism became one of the paths taken by the community to develop the region's potential while protecting the environment.

According to Iwan, village economic development needs to start from the community's ability to read local potential and understand real problems in their environment. He emphasized the importance of connecting environmental, cultural, community, and economic aspects in building local initiatives.

The role of the younger generation was also an important focus. In addition to being drivers of initiatives, young people need to build networks and community-based ecosystems so that economic activities remain grounded in the needs and character of the local community, rather than merely following external market demands.

The discussion then continued on how digital technology, particularly AI, can be utilized to support business actors and tourism village managers.

Aidil Wicaksono, Managing Director of Kaizen Collaborative Impact and a digital literacy practitioner, shared a perspective on the use of AI as a tool for village communities. He began the session with a screening of an ASEAN Foundation documentary film that told the story of a child from a remote area of the Selayar Islands who had a dream to advance his village.

The story served as an introduction to discussing how the younger generation in various regions can utilize technology to develop their local potential.

In the practical session, Aidil demonstrated the process of creating a promotional website for a tourism village using a number of AI-based tools. Content development was carried out with the help of Gemini, then implemented through Lovable AI with optimization support using Pomeli. The demonstration used the example of Kampung Budaya Polowijen, Malang, East Java, as an illustration of how technology can help introduce village potential to a wider audience.

However, Aidil emphasized that the ease of technology does not mean eliminating the role of humans. Village managers still have the responsibility to ensure that the information used is authentic and accurate data, including addresses, official contact numbers, and other important information.

He also reminded participants to always check and verify AI output before publishing it.

"AI can help speed up the process, but the data and stories about the village must still come from the community itself. Technology is a tool, while humans remain in control of the information and decisions made."

In addition to website development, Aidil also highlighted the importance of a digital communication foundation for business actors and destination managers, including credible business profiles and optimization of Google Business Profile so that information about local tourism and business potential is easier to find online.

The enthusiasm of participants was evident in the interactive question-and-answer session. One question came from a representative of the Lembaga Adat Desa Wisata Adat Arjasa (Customary Institution of the Arjasa Traditional Tourism Village), Jember Regency, East Java, who raised the challenge of communicating and digitalizing sacred traditions on the slopes of Argopuro.

The question concerned, among other things, how the Ta'bhuta'an art form and Nasi Ghudug culinary specialty can be introduced through digital platforms and have economic value without eliminating their customary and sacred values.

The discussion emphasized the importance of placing customary institutions and communities as the parties that have control over the rules of the game and the limits of utilizing cultural works and knowledge. Technology and AI can be used as tools for storytelling and education, but should not take over the community's authority in determining how their culture is represented.

The discussion showed that village digitalization is not merely a matter of technology adoption. Furthermore, digitalization needs to go hand in hand with strengthening community capacity, protecting cultural values, and the community's ability to determine the direction of developing its local potential.

This forum showed that strengthening the village economy can be built from two mutually reinforcing forces: a strong community and the appropriate use of technology.

The Rammang-Rammang experience shows how communities can build initiatives from local potential and problems. Meanwhile, the use of AI opens new opportunities for village communities to expand access to information, introduce local potential, and build a digital presence more effectively.

Through the Village Cultural Advancement Program, this approach is expected to continue encouraging the birth of a living, adaptive cultural ecosystem capable of providing economic benefits for the community without losing its cultural roots.