Kishida to Speak with Panel on Legal Regulation of AI; Expert Group to Hold First Meeting on Friday

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:00 JST, July 31, 2024

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida intends to urge the government to consider legal restrictions on generative artificial intelligence at an expert panel meeting on Friday, according to government sources.

Kishida plans to attend the first meeting of the AI systems study group, a panel of experts to study legal restrictions on generative AI. He will express basic principles, including the need to ensure the safety of AI and strengthen Japan’s competitiveness in the field, and will request that legal restrictions be considered, the sources said.

The government aims to submit a related bill at the ordinary Diet session as early as next year.

The European Union’s adoption of the Artificial Intelligence Act, which classifies risks and regulates the development and operation of AI, is an example of a growing trend toward international regulation of AI. Against the backdrop of this international movement, the government has established a study group under an expert panel, the AI Strategy Council, chaired by Prof. Yutaka Matsuo of the University of Tokyo, to begin a full-scale study of legal restrictions.

At the first meeting, Kishida is expected to outline basic principles, including the need to ensure both safety and competitiveness, and to make the system flexible enough to respond to technological changes and comply with international guidelines.

Kishida also plans to emphasize the importance of the government using AI properly.

Generative AI can be harmful as it can spread false information, violate human rights, and be used to commit crimes. While encouraging technological innovation, the government is expected to take measures commensurate with the level of risk.

The potential regulatory restrictions are to be designed to target large AI developers that have a significant impact on people’s lives.

The study group is expected to consider requiring AI development companies to conduct safety inspections of AI and allow the government to investigate problems when they arise.