Kartunet officially launched Avika, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered virtual assistant that operates directly on WhatsApp. This innovation makes Kartunet the first inclusive media community in Indonesia to integrate multimodal AI technology into the WhatsApp ecosystem to serve people with disabilities and the wider community in a tangible and measurable way.
Background: Accessibility Isn't Just About Websites
For nearly two decades, Kartunet has served as a digital literacy space for the disability community in Indonesia. However, one reality cannot be ignored: many community members, especially those with visual and physical disabilities, are more comfortable and proficient using WhatsApp than accessing a full website.
From these observations, the idea was born to build a bridge between the familiar WhatsApp ecosystem and Kartunet's broader digital ecosystem. The result is Avika — a name that is both an acronym and the persona of a friendly, inclusive, and intelligent female virtual assistant.
What is Avika?
Avika is Kartunet's virtual assistant running on Meta's WhatsApp Business Cloud API platform, powered by Google DeepMind's Gemini AI language and vision models. Users don't need to download new apps, create new accounts, or possess any technical skills. Simply open your existing WhatsApp and start a conversation.
Through Avika, users can access various Kartunet services directly from the chat interface:
- Submit Manuscripts with AI Automatic Editor — Writers simply type or dictate their manuscript consecutively into WhatsApp. Avika will collect all messages, then ask Gemini AI to tidy up spelling, capitalization, and paragraph structure into a clean HTML format — without changing a single word of the author's original writing style.
- Inclusive Marketplace for Disability Entrepreneurs — MSME entrepreneurs with disabilities can register their shops and upload products to the Kartunet.com website, which has existed for over 20 years, directly from WhatsApp. As soon as a product photo is sent, Avika uses the Gemini Vision API to automatically analyze the image and generate accessible alternative text (alt-text) for screen reader users — a feature that has long been a major barrier for visually impaired entrepreneurs on conventional e-commerce platforms.
- Read Articles and Disability Dictionary — All Kartunet content, including the latest articles and the Disability Dictionary (Glossary), can be accessed in a screen-reader-friendly WhatsApp text format, paginated one by one to avoid overwhelming users.
- Profile Management and Live Chat — Users can update their author profile, subscribe to newsletters, and even connect directly with the Kartunet editorial team through a two-way live chat feature that bridges WhatsApp and Telegram.
AI Technology that Champions Inclusion
What distinguishes Avika from a mere chatbot is its approach, termed AI-First Accessibility. Every feature is designed with the real needs of people with disabilities in mind from the outset, not as an afterthought.
Gemini Vision is utilized not just for its sophistication, but specifically to solve real problems: the disparity in access for visually impaired entrepreneurs who have previously been unable to independently describe their visual products. Meanwhile, Gemini NLP is used to break down writing barriers — allowing writers to focus on ideas, not on the technicalities of writing.
"I am visually impaired. I know exactly what barriers exist when trying to contribute digitally — from filling out inaccessible forms, uploading images without being able to see them, to writing articles with messy formatting due to assistive technology limitations," said Dimas P. Muharam, researcher and co-founder of Kartunet, who is also the initiator and developer of Avika. "Avika was born from that frustration, and built with the conviction that AI technology should be an equalizer, not a perpetuator of disparities."
Avika was developed with a collaborative approach between community expertise and artificial intelligence — Dimas designed the entire conversation flow architecture, business logic, and accessibility standards, while AI was used as a technical partner in the implementation process.
How to Use Avika
Accessing Avika is very easy. Visit kartunet.com/avika from your phone, and WhatsApp will automatically open with a ready-to-use chat session with Avika. No initial registration is required — Avika will guide users through a brief introduction process during the first conversation.
A Chat Avika button is also now available on all pages of the kartunet.com website for quick access.
About Kartunet
Kartunet (Karya Tunanetra, meaning 'Works of the Visually Impaired') is a leadership development platform for young people with disabilities and digital accessibility advocates in Indonesia, established on January 19, 2006. Kartunet operates as a Talent Laboratory that prepares young people with disabilities to become competent leaders in the digital economy era, with a full commitment to WCAG 2.1 Level AAA web accessibility standards.