Kishida Hears Generative AI Lecture at University of Tokyo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:51 JST, August 15, 2023

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attended a lecture on generative artificial intelligence at the University of Tokyo’s Hongo campus in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, on Monday.

Generative AI is used to produce texts and other works using data from the internet.

“There’s no beating firsthand knowledge, and this was a precious experience,” Kishida told reporters. “Based on this experience, I’d like to fulfill my large responsibility on the international scene as well as in domestic policies.”

The lecture was held by the university’s Prof. Yutaka Matsuo, who also serves on the government’s advisory board for AI strategies, upon request from Kishida.

The main topic of the lecture was large language models, the basic technology that allows AI to generate texts. Kishida posed questions to students in Matsuo’s lab and tried his hand at training the AI on his past speeches.

As the current chair of the Group of Seven advanced nations, Japan is leading the Hiroshima AI Process, a forum to address generative AI-related issues, such as relevant regulations.