Lessons learned from global practices and public leadership toward mature AI regulation for e-government in Indonesia

The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in e-government presents both opportunities and significant ethical and regulatory challenges, particularly in ensuring transparency, accountability, and public trust. This study aims to analyze the current state of AI regulation in Indonesia’s e-government and to identify lessons learned from advanced AI governance arrangements. Employing an exploratory qualitative case study design, this research relies on a qualitative synthesis of secondary data sources with data triangulation used to enhance analytical rigor. The findings indicate that Indonesia’s AI governance in e-government remains underdeveloped, characterized by weak regulatory coordination and the absence of explicit standards for transparency, accountability, and data protection, which poses risks to ethical governance and public trust. In contrast, Japan, Singapore, and the European Union have developed more mature and adaptive AI governance frameworks that emphasize human-centric principles, legal clarity, and institutional oversight. Drawing on lesson-drawing as a conceptual and comparative analytical framework, this study argues that Indonesia can strengthen its AI regulation in e-government by selectively adapting regulatory principles rather than replicating institutional models. Such an approach can support the development of contextually appropriate AI governance that aligns technological innovation with ethical standards, citizen protection, and trustworthy digital governance.