Yogyakarta, August 13, 2025 – Dr. Andri Prima Nugroho, Lecturer of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at Universitas Gadjah Mada, participated as a speaker in the MSME Class Series #27 organized by the Directorate of Community Service (DPKM) UGM. In a session entitled “The Role of AI and Creative Ads for MSMEs”, Dr. Andri specifically presented material on “Optimizing MSME Production with Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities and Practical Implementation” to MSME actors from Yogyakarta and Central Java.
In his presentation, Dr. Andri emphasized the strategic role of MSMEs as the backbone of Indonesia’s economy, while also highlighting the production challenges often faced, such as limited efficiency, slow product innovation, and resource constraints. He then introduced Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a transformative solution that can increase productivity by up to 40% and accelerate time-to-market by up to five times faster, as shown by a McKinsey study (2023).
The core material of Dr. Andri’s presentation covered various AI applications for operational efficiency and product innovation in MSMEs. He explained how AI can optimize supply chains through demand forecasting and smart inventory management, improve product quality with computer vision-based automated inspection, and predict machine failures through predictive maintenance. In addition, AI also opens opportunities for product innovation through market trend analysis, product personalization, and generative design assistance.
Not only presenting the opportunities, Dr. Andri also discussed common challenges in AI adoption by MSMEs, such as low digital literacy, limited resources, and unstructured data issues. To address this, he recommended practical implementation strategies, starting on a small scale, utilizing affordable cloud/SaaS-based AI platforms, enhancing human resource capacity, and fostering collaboration with academics and digital communities.
The interactive session with MSME participants also became an important part of the event, where Dr. Andri provided practical guidance on marketing strategies, creating engaging content with storytelling and visual market keywords, as well as the importance of potential mapping in determining business direction. Questions from participants regarding product focus, the use of market keywords on social media platforms, and ways to overcome difficulties in content creation were answered clearly, providing inspiration for MSME practitioners to continue innovating.
The participation of Dr. Andri Prima Nugroho in MSME Class Series #27 reaffirms UGM’s commitment through DPKM to supporting the digital transformation of Indonesian MSMEs. By improving technological literacy and practical skills, MSMEs are expected to compete optimally at both national and global levels, making AI a strategic partner for sustainable business growth.
