Time Table

With the rapid progress of AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology, we are now in an era where a variety of innovative services and creative ideas are generated on a daily basis. Its profound influence on our society is sometimes described as“equivalent to the Industrial Revolution!” or “It will surpass the Internet or even smartphones!” On the other hand, the evolution of AI is so rapid that it outpaced the establishment of regulations and rules, with the risks of using AI technology remaining uncertain. As a result, some countries temporarily banned the use of conversational AI, while governments, international organizations, and various groups formulated their own unique rules and regulations, which has led to a situation where, despite many efforts to create rules regarding the usage of AI, there is still some confusion about what criteria should be used. Under such circumstances, discussions regarding AI usage had been ongoing in Japan as well, resulting in a mix of various guidelines, until April 19, 2024, when the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) jointly released the new “AI Business Operator Guidelines (Version 1.0)” after a comprehensive review. In today’s session, we will focus on how organizations should utilize AI and create rules, referring to this new AI Business Operator Guidelines, as well as delving into specific risks.