Telkom Indonesia said on Tuesday that it has struck a strategic collaboration deal with Silicon Valley-based multimodal AI startup Reka AI to accelerate the development of AI that understand the 700+ languages spoken in Indonesia.
Reka makes AI products that can interact with various types of data such as text in various languages, images, sound, and video. Telkom said it will explore ways to use LLM (large language model)-based multimodal AI technology developed by Reka to improve its external services and simplify business operations within the company.
Telkom said that integrating multimodal AI technology can help strengthen its internal operations, and increase efficiency and productivity, which in turn would create new business opportunities.
Meanwhile, LLM-based multimodal AI will also help Telkom’s chatbots process language more intelligently and personalise service based on the customer’s language.
This is a key feature, as Indonesia is one of the most linguistically diverse countries on the planet. While Bahasa is the official language, there are at least 700 regional languages spoken in Indonesia. According to Translators Without Borders, 94% of the population speaks Bahasa, yet it is the primary language for just 20% of the population.
Komang Budi Aryasa, Telkom’s EVP for Digital Business and Technology, said the partnership with Reka is an important step for enabling the telco to sustainably develop AI capabilities for inclusive growth and greater social impact.
“Through this collaboration, we hope that the quality of Telkom's digital products and services will be increasingly optimal,” Komang said in a statement.
“We look forward to collaborating on initiatives that will not only benefit Telkom's business but also contribute to the advancement of AI in Indonesia," said Reka CEO Dani Yogatama.
