Data privacy tops AI risk concerns in Indonesian finance survey

Data privacy was the leading AI risk concern among Indonesian financial-sector respondents in a survey by PERBANAS, IBM and K&A, with 82 per cent identifying it as a risk requiring controls. Cybersecurity and regulatory risks also drew attention.

The findings appear in the whitepaper “Digital Sovereign AI and the Future of Trusted Banking”. The research gathered responses from 91 people across 35 financial institutions, supplemented by group discussions and interviews with seven participants.

AI adoption varied among respondents’ organisations. Pilot projects or limited trials were reported by 34 per cent, while 18 per cent said AI served several operational needs. Another 12 per cent said their organisations had not explored its use.

Only 4 per cent reported cross-functional AI deployment supported by formal governance. A complete, regularly updated inventory of AI uses was reported by 9 per cent. These figures reflect participants’ responses rather than an audit covering all Indonesian banks.

Respondents assigned their organisations an average AI governance maturity score of 2.74 out of 5, assessing documentation, validation, performance monitoring, periodic evaluation and human oversight. Governance training was the most requested form of support, selected by 66 of the 91 respondents.

The survey also assessed awareness of policy frameworks. Otoritas Jasa Keuangan (OJK) introduced its Indonesian banking AI governance guidance in April 2025 to support responsible development and deployment by commercial banks. Among survey participants, 43 identified the OJK guidance as a framework they knew, while 54 named the Personal Data Protection Law. Those responses do not establish understanding across the entire banking industry.