Japanese Tech Giants Join Forces with Cities: Creating AI Guidelines by 2025
Updated: Aug 26
Japanese cities partner with Microsoft and Google to establish AI guidelines for government services. Consortium aims to create guidelines by April 2025, led by the Institute of Administrative Management. Adoption of AI by Japanese municipalities driven by labor shortages and the need for efficiency.
The consortium, which includes the Japanese units of Microsoft, Google, Amazon Web Services, and Oracle, as well as the cities of Osaka, Tsukuba, Nagoya, and Yokosuka, aims to create these guidelines by April 2025.
The initiative is being led by the Institute of Administrative Management, based in Japan, and will be headed by Yukihiko Okada from the University of Tsukuba's Institute of Systems and Information Engineering. The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, along with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the Cabinet Office, and the Digital Agency, will also participate as observers.
The adoption of AI by Japanese municipalities is driven by the need to address labor shortages and improve efficiency. For instance, Osaka recently introduced generative AI for government use, which assists in document creation, summarisation, and project planning.
Similarly, Yokosuka became one of the first cities in Japan to utilise Microsoft-backed OpenAI's ChatGPT generative AI, using it to disseminate information in English and handle resident inquiries.
However, the use of generative AI comes with risks, such as the spread of misinformation and the potential leakage of private information. To mitigate these risks, the consortium will gather insights from local governments that have already implemented AI and develop guidelines for its appropriate use. These guidelines will be shared with municipalities and organisations lacking the necessary resources and expertise to handle AI effectively.
In addition to this consortium, Japan's economy and communications ministries recently established national guidelines for AI use. Industries and local governments are now working to devise specific and tailored rules based on these guidelines.
Japanese cities partner with Microsoft and Google to establish AI guidelines for government services.
Consortium aims to create guidelines by April 2025, led by the Institute of Administrative Management.
Adoption of AI by Japanese municipalities driven by labor shortages and the need for efficiency.
Source: ASIA NIKKEI
