Indonesia is preparing a major copyright law overhaul that could force Google, AI developers and digital platforms to pay for news content, link previews and copyrighted works used to train artificial intelligence systems.
Indonesia Moves to Recognize AI in Copyright Law
The proposal could make Indonesia a regional first.
Reuters reported that Indonesia could become the first country in Southeast Asia to incorporate artificial intelligence into its copyright law if the bill is passed.
Hermansyah Siregar, an Indonesian law ministry official overseeing intellectual property, confirmed the draft’s authenticity.
The News International also reported that Siregar validated the legitimacy of the draft bill and said it would create formal recognition of AI in Indonesian copyright rules.
Human Input Becomes the Copyright Test
The bill does not treat all AI-generated content equally. AI-assisted works would qualify for copyright protection only if they meet human involvement criteria, while fully AI-generated works would be excluded. AI-assisted works incorporating human insight would qualify for copyright protection, but fully AI-generated works would not.
The draft also targets imitation and transparency. The AI-specific clauses include banning the use of AI to imitate a creator’s “distinctive style” and requiring disclosure when AI is used in content. That approach suggests Indonesia is not only trying to protect finished works, but also the creative identity and style of human creators.
Platforms May Have to Pay for News and AI Training
The most direct impact on tech companies would come from compensation rules. The bill would require tech platforms to pay compensation for aggregating, republishing or link-previewing news content, as well as using it for AI training. Digital platforms would have to pay compensation for republishing social media snippets and using content for AI training.
The money would not go directly from platforms to individual creators. Compensation would go to state-supervised collective management organizations, which would distribute the funds to news publishers.
Google Warns Against Broad Mandates
Google has already raised concerns about the proposed law. Google criticized the copyright overhaul last month and warned that non-compliant platforms could face sanctions, including revocation of local business permits.
The proposal would cover a broad set of creative and digital materials. The rules would apply to video games, photography, computer programs, journalism and films. The rules would apply to a diverse range of content, including video games, photography, journalism and films.
Copyright Fight Meets Indonesia’s AI Push
The bill comes as Indonesia pushes wider AI adoption. Indonesia’s proposals come as Southeast Asia’s largest economy moves to embed AI in key government programs. Indonesia is among 29 countries that signed a Shanghai pact to establish an intergovernmental body for AI cooperation and global governance.
Indonesia is therefore trying to do two things at once: accelerate AI use while tightening rules around the human content that AI systems depend on. The bill is not final, but it puts Google and other AI platforms on notice that the next copyright battle may not only happen in the United States or Europe. It may also unfold in Southeast Asia, where governments are starting to demand clearer payment, disclosure and human authorship rules for the AI economy.
