Japanese Government Backs Industrial Use of Generative AI Technologies
Tech

Japanese Government Backs Industrial Use of Generative AI Technologies

Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida has said that the country supports the development of industrial uses of generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Kishida met Sam Altman, the Chief Executive of Microsoft-backed OpenAI in Tokyo in April, and supposedly said that the Group of Seven (G7) summit meeting from May 19-21, 2023 in Hiroshima will address “international rules” on generative AI. OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman had said he was considering opening an office and expanding services in Japan after a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister.

Kishida and Altman exchanged views on the technological progress and merits of AI as well as its risks including privacy and copyright infringement. Altman said that they discussed the technology’s potential, how to mitigate the downsides, and how to be thoughtful about the risks and how to make AI “as good for people as we can make it.” He said OpenAI would work to make its models as good as possible in the Japanese language and for the Japanese culture.

Rapid advances in AI technologies are making complicating governments’ efforts to agree on laws governing the use of the technology.