Japanese officials have begun to tighten their stance on artificial intelligence (AI) after the country's local privacy watchdog warned ChatGPT's parent company over its data collection methods. On June 2, Japan's Personal Information Protection Commission issued a statement asking OpenAI to minimize the amount of sensitive data it collects for machine learning purposes. Also, it emphasizes that it shouldn't be done without people's permission.
The committee also highlighted the need to balance privacy concerns with allowing space to foster innovation and the potential benefits of artificial intelligence.
However, it did warn that it was prepared to take further action if additional issues arose. The announcements came shortly after the Japanese government submitted a draft of its AI strategy committee on May 26, raising concerns about the lack of AI regulation and the risks it poses to society.
Japanese lawmaker Takashi Kii said he would also start pushing for regulations to protect copyright holders from AI algorithms. In March, ChatGPT was temporarily banned in Italy following a review of its security protocols by Italian regulators. That has unleashed a wave of uncertainty from regulators around the world, sparking investigations into the technology in several countries.
At the time, Japanese regulators expressed support for OpenAI. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno even said Japan would consider incorporating artificial intelligence technology into government systems. However, Matsuno added that AI integration will only be possible if Privacy and security concerns are adequately addressed.
A poll on April 30 showed that 69.4% of Japanese surveyed wanted stricter regulations on AI development. The latest data from Simliarweb shows that Japan ranks third in terms of visits to the OpenAI website.
