OpenAI chief granted Indonesia’s first golden visa

JAKARTA (AFP): OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has been granted Indonesia’s first golden visa, officials said, as Southeast Asia’s biggest economy looks to attract wealthy foreign investors.

The co-founder of the ChatGPT bot sensation was granted a 10-year visa for his potential contributions to the development of artificial intelligence in Indonesia, director-general of immigration Silmy Karim said in a statement late Monday.

“Once the holders of Golden Visa arrive in Indonesia, they no longer need to apply for a temporary stay permit at the immigration office,” he said.

“We are rolling out the red carpet in return for the resources they provide to Indonesia.”

The US-based tech entrepreneur was also granted a special visa because of his international reputation as the head of the artificial intelligence research and development company, the official said.

With the golden visa the 38-year-old would be able to bypass immigration queues at Indonesia’s airports and more easily enter and exit the country, according to the statement.

Indonesia has rolled out golden visas for investors who will get a five-year stay if they invest $2.5 million in the country and 10 years if they spend double that amount.

The country is looking to develop an artificial intelligence ecosystem and community in the country as the industry booms worldwide, officials have said.

Altman visited Indonesia in June to speak about artificial intelligence.

It was unclear if he requested the visa through an application to authorities or if he was granted it unilaterally by officials in Jakarta.