Tokyo (Kyoda) – Japan is lagging behind the use of generative artificial intelligence, with only 26.7% of individuals who say they used such tools in 2024 said in a 2025 white paper on Tuesday.
This figure was about three times higher than fiscal year 2023, and remains much lower than AI leaders such as the US and China, with usage rates of 68.8% and 81.2%, respectively.
The white paper describes AI as a fundamental pillar of the future digital society, calling for greater efforts to promote applications in the industry and throughout everyday life.
This technology is considered convenient for young people and is used by 44.7% of people in their 20s. Common uses include search, summaries and translation.
Many non-users said it was unnecessary in daily life or work or they didn't know how to use the generator AI.
The global competition to develop generative AI based on large-scale language models that can understand context and generate natural responses is led by major US high-tech companies and Chinese startups.
The white paper states that Japan has also made progress in this field, with a small yet highly capable model under development.
