Depok – The development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and quantum computing is considered to be opening new opportunities for modern espionage practices that could threaten Indonesia’s strategic national interests. The technology’s ability to process massive data, penetrate digital systems, and accelerate information analysis has made cyber espionage threats increasingly complex and difficult to detect. Therefore, Indonesia is deemed necessary to strengthen the protection of national interests by strengthening cyber resilience, strategic information security, and increasing anti-espionage awareness amidst the era of global digital transformation.
Senior Lecturer and International Relations Expert at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Indonesia (UI), Edy Prasetyono, emphasized that the practice of espionage is not just a theoretical issue, but a real threat that continues to develop in line with technological advances.
“Espionage is empirical, real. It’s existed from the Roman, Greek, and Persian eras to the present day. And now, with the development of digital technology, the threat is even greater,” said Edy.
According to him, the development of AI, quantum computing, and modern cyber technology has made competition between countries no longer solely centered on conventional military power, but also on the struggle for technological superiority, energy, and control of strategic information.
“Countries are now competing to achieve excellence. Chip technology, quantum computing, energy—these are all strategic sectors being contested,” he said.
Edy assessed that the threat of espionage could have a broad impact on Indonesia, ranging from technology theft, disruption to vital infrastructure, to weakening Indonesia’s position in international cooperation if strategic information protection is not strengthened.
“If Indonesia is deemed incapable of protecting strategic information, other countries will certainly reconsider technology transfers or sensitive cooperation,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Postgraduate Program of International Relations, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Indonesia, Ali Wibisono, assessed that the threat of cyber espionage is currently ongoing and increasingly difficult to detect because it utilizes high-tech digital operations.
“Cyber espionage happens every day. Countries around Indonesia have already developed their information-stealing capabilities,” Ali said.
He warned that the development of AI and quantum computing would further increase the risk of losses if Indonesia did not strengthen its national interest protection system early on.
“There will be AI, there will be quantum computing, technologies that will amplify losses,” he said.
Therefore, the two experts assessed that Indonesia needs to immediately strengthen the protection of national interests by strengthening cybersecurity regulations, protecting strategic data and information, increasing human resource capacity, and developing a digital defense system that is adaptive to global technological developments.
This step is considered crucial to ensure Indonesia remains on the right track in the face of increasingly sophisticated modern espionage threats in the era of AI and quantum computing.