Photo/Illutration The central government’s AI strategy council holds a meeting on May 22 in Tokyo. (Kenro Kuroda)

The central government’s AI strategy council met on May 22 to discuss the establishment of laws and regulations to ensure the safety of artificial intelligence.

During the meeting, which was chaired by Yutaka Matsuo, a professor at the University of Tokyo, members discussed the possible risks of AI technology.

These include the development of AI weapons, violations of privacy and other human rights and criminal applications.

The council pointed out that “it is necessary to consider how legal regulations should be applied to high-risk AI.”

Laws and regulations will target companies that develop high-risk AI having a significant social impact, such as Open AI, the U.S. company that developed ChatGPT.

The council also suggested that the government must consider effective responses to companies that violate the regulations, and that penalties should be considered.

However, the council said that small details will not be bound up in laws and regulations. The goal is to leave as much responsibility as possible to the voluntary efforts of private businesses and industry associations, it said.

Many countries around the world have begun to establish laws and regulations on AI, and Japan is beginning follow suit.

In April, the government released a set of non-legally binding guidelines on AI for businesses.

Until now, the government has focused on promoting AI development and left the operation of AI to the voluntary efforts of the companies developing it.

However, some have pointed out that the government has not adequately addressed the risks posed by generative AI.

The government has therefore begun to discuss the possibility of legal regulations.

The European Union passed the world’s first Artificial Intelligence Act on May 21.

In the United States, President Joe Biden issued an executive order in October 2023 requiring AI developers to disclose information.

Other major countries are discussing legal regulations of this technology as well.

The council will closely examine the contents of regulations passed in Europe and the United States and discuss what kind of laws and regulations would be appropriate for Japan.

The council aims to submit a bill to an ordinary Diet session next year.

(This article was written by Takeshi Narabe and Kenro Kuroda.)

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