Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology plans to allow schools from elementary to high school level limited use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the classroom.
Generative AI tools, such as the popular chatbot ChatGPT, could help facilitate class discussions and artistic activities, among other use cases, according to local news outlets. Said it would be allowed.
Officials said the full use of AI tools is not allowed and they plan to publish guidelines for schools to follow by July.
The draft guidelines emphasize the importance of “cultivating the ability to use generative AI thoughtfully,” and recommend its introduction with restrictions.
It also requires teachers to instruct students that using AI in exams and classes is considered cheating. The guidelines encourage teachers and students to be careful about data entering AI systems.
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The announcement from Japan’s Ministry of Education comes as Japanese regulators grapple with how to regulate and introduce the technology at the national level.
Japanese officials initially showed open support for OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot when countries such as Italy banned the technology and other uncertainties around its use began to surface.
Shortly after, however, Japanese lawmaker Takashi Kii said he was pushing for regulations to protect copyright holders from AI infringement. The next day, OpenAI was warned by a Japanese parliamentarian about its data collection methods, asking the company to be mindful of minimizing the sensitive data it collects.
In an April survey of a small minority of Japanese voters about their concerns about AI, 69.4% said they wanted tighter regulation of AI development and implementation.
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