Jakarta. Artificial intelligence can lie.

That was the warning delivered by Stella Christie, Deputy Minister for Higher Education, Science, and Technology, during a policy symposium on human capital and the digital sector in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Christie revealed that ahead of Indonesia’s World Cup qualifying match against China last week, she and her team had used AI to simulate 729 possible scenarios from the remaining six matches to estimate the country’s qualification chances. But the results were misleading.

“We used AI to calculate the probabilities, but it turned out that the AI only provided estimates. It didn’t actually compute all the possibilities,” Stella said. “It lied.”

The anecdote served as a cautionary tale about the limits of artificial intelligence and the critical need for human reasoning and analytical skills in working with advanced technology.

“It’s not enough to understand coding,” she said. “If we don’t question and evaluate AI outputs, we risk basing decisions on false premises. That can have real consequences, economically and in terms of employment.”

Christie said critical thinking and evaluation should be key components of AI literacy, especially as Indonesia seeks to harness demographic and technological opportunities in the coming years.

“To fully leverage the AI era, we must prioritize the ability to assess AI-generated results,” she said. “The real opportunity lies not in matching what AI can do, but in building the human capacity to verify and improve upon it.”

She added that AI is already lowering barriers in many sectors, creating rapid access to opportunities once limited to experts. However, she cautioned that over-reliance on AI without human oversight could undermine long-term goals such as workforce development and inclusive economic growth.

“Evaluating AI outcomes must be a core skill embedded in our curriculum. it’s essential for building a competitive and resilient future,” Christie concluded.