The government is preparing a draft of its basic AI plan, which it aims to finish by the end of the year. The plan will encourage the use of AI in public institutions.
Aiming to make Japan “the world’s most AI-friendly country for development and utilization,” the AI basic plan will establish four basic policies for balancing technological innovation and proper risk management.
Japan is still behind in using AI. Last year, only about 20% of individuals and 50% of companies were using it. The draft plan says that creating a national AI strategy is now more important than ever.
The plan highlights four main policies: speeding up the use of AI, strengthening AI development, taking the lead in AI governance, and driving continuous innovation to build an AI-focused society.
The draft says that government offices and local municipalities should lead the way in using AI to make their work more efficient. It also suggests using AI to strengthen defense.
It points out that “high-quality data,” which is important for accurate AI, is one of Japan’s strengths and stresses the need to improve its development capacity further.
The draft aims to create better collaboration between humans and AI highlighting the need for continuous changes in social systems and institutions. It also stresses the importance of reviewing legal rules for AI use, especially around civil liability and protecting property rights such as copyrights.
It also points out the risks of AI, including giving wrong answers, spreading false information and affecting national security. To address this, the draft calls for thorough government investigations when rights are violated and for Japan to take the lead in setting international rules.
The draft of the basic AI plan, the country’s first of its kind, will be presented soon at a meeting of the AI strategy headquarters led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. After that, an expert panel will work on the details, and the plan is expected to be officially approved by the Cabinet later this year.
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