[1/3]A keyboard and miniature hands (taken May 4, 2023) can be seen in this illustration.Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
TOKYO, July 3 (Reuters) – Japan is leaning toward looser regulation than the European Union, which governs the use of artificial intelligence (AI), said a person close to the deliberations. With advanced chips, Japan hopes to boost economic growth and become a leader in artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
The goal by the end of the year is to come up with an approach to AI that would be closer to the U.S. stance than the draconian rules favored by the EU, said the official, who asked not to be named because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media.
If Japan softens its approach, it will seek to establish the rule as a global benchmark, with requirements such as companies disclosing copyrighted material used to train AI systems that generate content such as text and graphics. EU efforts may slow down.
EU industry chief Thierry Breton is visiting Tokyo this week to promote the EU’s approach to AI rule-making and to deepen cooperation in the semiconductor sector.
Officials did not elaborate on areas where they believed Japanese rules differed from EU rules.
University of Tokyo professor Yutaka Matsuo, chairman of the government’s AI strategy council, said the EU’s rules were “a little too strict” and that it was “nearly impossible” to identify copyrighted material used for deep learning. .
Matsuo, who is also chairman of the Japan Deep Learning Association and an independent member of the board of directors of SoftBank Group led by Masayoshi Son, said, “Regarding the EU, it is not a matter of how to promote innovation. It’s a problem,” he said. 9984.T).
Advances in generative AI by companies such as Microsoft’s (MSFT.O)-backed startup OpenAI have sparked both excitement and concern as they have the potential to transform business and society at large.
AI’s potential is so high that it is included among technologies such as advanced semiconductors and quantum computers that the United States and its allied industrial democracies are racing to develop with China.
“There are things that are really concerning, and I think these are probably the things that every democracy should be concerned about,” Bretton said.
“I think it’s important to explain what we’ve done, with like-minded partners and friends like Japan and the US,” Bretton said of the EU’s regulatory approach.
For Japan, AI could help deal with a declining population that is causing labor shortages.
It could also spur demand for advanced chips that government-backed venture company Rapidus plans to manufacture as part of an industrial policy aimed at recapturing Japan’s lost lead in technology. said the official.
Japan’s computing power, defined as the availability of graphics processing units (GPUs) used to train AI, lags far behind the United States, experts say.
“Even if we increase the number of GPUs in Japan by a factor of 10, there will probably be fewer than what OpenAI can use,” says Professor Matsuo.
Reporting by Sam Nussey and Tim Kelly.Editing: Christopher Cushing
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