Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Japanese have reacted positively to recent major developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, but that doesn’t mean they are without concern about potential negative impacts.
The recent emergence of chatbots–computer programs designed to simulate conversation with humans–are opening up new possibilities, and promise wider applications throughout society. From writing poems to solving math problems, they are capable of many things, performing with ever-greater sophistication and accuracy.
The use of chatbots is rapidly gaining popularity within Japan as it is globally.
ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, already boasts more than 100 million active users worldwide, and that figure has been expanding exponentially.
According to a survey conducted last month by Line Research, Japanese have a generally positive attitude towards ChatGPT. Around two-thirds of those surveyed stated that they might or definitely want to try out the chatbot’s services in the near future.
“Japan is certainly one of the centers of the world, first with image generation and now with ChatGPT,” declared OpenAI CEO Sam Altman earlier this month after meeting with the prime minister.
Altman added that his firm is exploring the possibility of opening an office in Tokyo.
Some Japanese firms are already working with chatbots. Indeed, LayerX, a startup promoting digital transformation in various industries, has announced that it will make it mandatory for new recruits to have knowledge of ChatGPT and Notion AI.
But this enthusiasm for the technology’s potential is tempered by a recognition that it could also come with risks.
The government has put the issue of AI regulation on the agenda at the upcoming G7 summit.
Moreover, the Ministry of Education is drawing up guidelines for the use of chatbots in schools. Some have argued that frequent use of chatbots could exercise a negative impact on children’s writing skills.
Universities, too, are grappling with their internal policies about how chatbots should be used–and not used–by students.
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