ANN/THE JAPAN NEWS – Japan’s government aims to broaden the reach of the Hiroshima AI Process, an initiative launched last year to tackle challenges posed by generative artificial intelligence, according to Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa.
In an exclusive interview with The Japan News last Friday, Kamikawa expressed her intent to share the process’s outcomes with more nations as part of a cultural diplomacy effort, emphasising the importance of protecting creators’ rights.
With the rapid advancement of generative AI, Kamikawa reiterated the plan to extend the Hiroshima AI Process’s results beyond the Group of Seven (G7) major economies, advocating for international collaboration on this front.
In December, the G7 endorsed a set of international guidelines inspired by the Hiroshima AI Process, aimed at addressing issues related to generative AI across its development and use stages.
Kamikawa acknowledged the strong concerns raised by creators regarding issues such as intellectual property rights violations.
“These international guidelines specifically mention the protection of an individual’s data and intellectual property,” Kamikawa said during the interview, which was conducted at the Foreign Ministry. “They also contribute to protecting creators’ rights.”
Kamikawa added that she was determined to convey information about the thinking behind the Hiroshima AI Process to other nations in a bid to gain their support for this initiative. “I’ll work on efforts to bring AI that is safe, secure and reliable to fruition,” Kamikawa said.
The minister also recognised that generative AI had good and bad points. “While it makes international information transmission easy, it also heightens the risk of information manipulation, such as by spreading disinformation,” she said.
Observers have pointed out that generative AI has a range of risks, such as the creation of sophisticated voice recordings and text that could be used to commit fraud as well as manipulating public opinion by flooding the internet with disinformation.
“People must broaden the range of their sources of information, and rediscover the utility of print culture, such as newspapers and books, so they don’t get misled by disinformation and can exercise good judgment,” Kamikawa said.
During the interview, Kamikawa revealed that when she travels abroad, she visits bookstores if time allows and buys several books. She explained that this also was a useful way to boost cultural diplomacy.
“A nation’s history and culture, and the interests of its people, are condensed in its bookstores. These shops also help me learn how Japanese culture is being accepted in other countries,” Kamikawa said.
