In order to enhance economic growth and establish itself as a leader in sophisticated semiconductors, Japan is leaning toward adopting more lax restrictions for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in comparison to the European Union (EU). By the end of the year, the country hopes to have developed an AI strategy that is more aligned with the US position, breaking from the EU’s tough rules. This milder Japanese approach could jeopardize the EU’s efforts to establish worldwide norms for AI legislation.
Thierry Breton, the EU industry head, is presently in Tokyo to advocate the EU’s approach to AI regulation and to deepen cooperation in the sector of semiconductors. However, a Japanese government official stated that the country’s AI guidelines are likely to diverge from those of the EU, without providing any information. Prof. Yutaka Matsuo, chair of Japan’s AI policy council, raised concern about the EU’s tight standards, notably with the specificity of copyrighted content used for deep learning.
Japan sees AI as a means to alleviate its labor shortfall caused by a dwindling population, as well as to stimulate demand for advanced semiconductors. In terms of graphics processing units (GPUs) employed for AI training, the country falls substantially behind the United States. Japan is attempting to improve its AI skills in order to catch up to technical developments made by countries such as the United States and China. Japan hopes to stimulate innovation and reclaim its status as a technical leader by adopting a more flexible regulatory approach to AI.
