Japan’s Initiative on AI Regulation

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that he would establish an international framework for setting rules on artificial intelligence at a ministerial council of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris on May 2nd. It would be an extended group of the Hiroshima AI Process, which Kishida took an initiative in the Group of Seven Summit meeting last May, with participation of forty-nine countries or regions. Kishida hopes to demonstrate his leadership in this issue as the chairman of OECD this year. 

G7 leaders shared a recognition in Hiroshima Summit that the governance of digital economy, in areas such as AI, should continue to be updated in line with shared democratic values, including fairness, accountability, transparency and safety. “We task relevant ministers to establish the Hiroshima AI Process -- in an inclusive manner and in cooperation with the OECD and the Global Partnership on AI,” says G7 Leaders’ Communiqué.

 

The leaders issued a statement last October that they recognized “the need to manage risks and to protect individuals, society and our shared principles including the rule of laws and democratic values, keeping human kind at the center.” Kishida embraces the outcome as one of the achievements as G7 chair last year.

 

In the opening remarks of a side event of OECD ministerial council in Paris, titled “Towards Safe, Secure and Trustworthy AI,” Kishida announced the kickoff of Hiroshima AI Process Friends Group with 49 countries, as a voluntary framework of countries supporting the spirit of Hiroshima AI Process. “Together with the members of the Friends Group, we will work to implement the International Guiding Principles and the Code of Conduct and promote cooperation to ensure that people all over the world can benefit from the use of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI,” said Kishida.

 

The main concern they have is AI’s negative impact on democracy with control of authoritarian regimes. Kishida insisted that we had to deal with a dark aspect of generative AI such as fake information, urging formulation of international governance. There are some signs from Russia or China to intervene Western democracy. Microsoft found in April Russian influence operations targeting US Presidential election.

 

The European Parliament approved AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive regulation for regulating the technology, which would categorize AI system by the potential harm. US President Joe Biden issued an executive order on AI last October, which required developers of most powerful AI systems share safety test results and other critical information.

 

Kishida’s action is an attempt to catch up with those developments. Establishing the friends group should be contributing to extend the wing of the Western democracies to other regions, taking opportunity of OECD chairmanship of this year, commemorating sixtieth anniversary from Japan’s joining to the organization. In the side event of OECD ministerial council, Japan introduced its technology called originator profile, which could detect original information of articles or ads on internet.

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