May 2, 2023
Tokyo — Group 7 of the Digital and Technology Ministerial Meeting held over the weekend had a heated debate on artificial intelligence, highlighting different views and attitudes towards AI as countries grapple with the rapid adoption of ChatGPT. rice field.
The digital ministerial meeting was dominated by talks about ChatGPT, a conversational AI chatbot whose use has spread rapidly around the world. All ministers at the meeting spoke about AI, according to attendees.
“The discussion was very intense,” said one participant.
ChatGPT is a generative AI model that presents data-driven conversational responses. Generative AI differs from traditional AI models that optimize the data they learn. However, it is not clear what kind of data the data-generating AI will generate or how accurate its output will be.
Generative AI can use data in ways contrary to the intentions of the data’s creators, potentially leading to copyright and privacy violations.
In a joint declaration adopted at the Digital Technology Ministerial Meeting, the G7 reaffirmed that member states will facilitate processes such as AI risk assessment and use AI with a high degree of transparency. The G7 also reaffirmed its concerted efforts to tackle information manipulation and disinformation.
At a press conference after the meeting, Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Takeaki Matsumoto said, “There is an urgent need to discuss the rapidly developing generative AI.”
disappeared phrase
However, different views and attitudes towards AI became apparent during the conference.
The wording that calls for AI models to be evaluated and evaluated according to common criteria was considered during the process of drafting the joint statement. However, this phrase was not included in the final version of the declaration. The draft joint declaration and action plan obtained by the Yomiuri Shimbun in mid-April included a policy aiming to unify AI rules at the G7.
Protecting intellectual property and personal information is important, but excessive regulation can slow technological development. The inclusion of the policy was meant to strike a balance in a situation where some members are rapidly tightening their restrictions on his ChatGPT.
However, sources said Europe, which imposes severe restrictions on the digital sphere, strongly resisted including the policy. The European side appears to have been concerned that if Japan and the United States, which are cautious about regulations, withdraw their talks, they may not be able to impose their own strict regulations.
The European Union has started devising unified AI rules. Italy once banned ChatGPT because it illegally collects personal information. Even in the United States, home to many companies with cutting-edge AI technology, government agencies such as the Department of Justice are beginning to monitor AI development and use.
At the Takasaki conference, the EU tried to position intergovernmental talks on AI rules as a “long-term goal.” However, a Japanese initiative decided to include the term “interoperability” in the declaration.
unity tested
Compared to other G7 countries, the Japanese government has not taken any direct steps to regulate AI. The government plans to set up an AI strategy council with experts as members, but the focus of the council’s discussions remains unclear.
Foreign ministers present at the meeting expressed an urgent sense that AI poses an imminent risk. Her Vice President of the European Commission, Margrethe Vestager, said:
This sentiment is also shared by the Japanese government. “The landscape surrounding generative AI is changing day by day,” said a government official. “It is very difficult for the policy debate to keep up with the changes.”
Can intergovernmental coordination keep up with the speed of the digital age? The unity of the G7 is being tested.
China taming Russia
The digital and technology ministers of the major G7 countries said in a joint statement that they “condemn government restrictions on networking”.
Browsing websites and accessing online services of foreign operators are restricted in China. Measures such as surveillance cameras around cities and location data from smartphones are also being used to crack down on activists critical of the government.
Russia is waging a cognitive war with its invasion of Ukraine, trying to gain an advantage by distributing false information through social networking services. The “misuse” of AI technology heightens these concerns.
In a joint statement, G7 ministers said they would “combine against deliberate online information manipulation, including disinformation and interference.” The G7 also expressed its intention to work with online service providers and other stakeholders to compile examples of countermeasures against misinformation.
The group indicated that it plans to present cases at relevant UN-sponsored conferences in Japan in the fall.
