“AI Business Guidelines” released by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications released the “AI Business Guidelines (Version 1.0)” on the 19th.
These guidelines have been integrated and updated from related guidelines compiled by each ministry, and have been formulated as unified and easy-to-understand guidelines for a wide range of AI businesses.
https://meti.go.jp/press/2024/04/20240419004/20240419004.html
https://www.meti.go.jp/press/2024/04/20240419004/20240419004-1.pdf
The guidelines classify AI providers into three categories
“AI developers”, “AI providers”, and “AI users”.
It also defines the following 10 items that are common to all 3 and important for each entity
(1) human-centeredness
(2) safety
(3) fairness
(4) privacy protection
(5) security assurance
(6) transparency
(7) accountability
(8) education and literacy
(9) fair competition
(10) innovation
Guideline Background
To provide unified guidelines for AI governance in Japan to promote the safe and secure use of AI. This will encourage those who use AI in various business activities to correctly recognize AI risks based on international trends and stakeholder concerns, and to voluntarily implement necessary measures throughout the lifecycle of AI, and to establish a “common guideline” and a set of guidelines for each entity through cooperation with each other and with related parties. The goal is to actively co-create a framework that both promotes innovation and mitigates risks throughout the lifecycle of AI, through implementation of “common guidelines,” important issues for each entity, and AI governance in cooperation with each other and stakeholders.
https://www.meti.go.jp/press/2024/04/20240419004/20240419004-1.pdf
references Guideline PDF
Prospects for future guidelines
As for the use of AI, it is no longer an inseparable part of our daily lives. These guidelines describe it as the “democratization of AI.
It is clear that while the rise of AI has brought convenience in some areas, it also entails various risks, such as infringement of intellectual property and generation of misinformation, and the formulation of these guidelines will probably become one of the most important guidelines for living in the coming AI age.
Technology is constantly evolving, and it is necessary to update the guidelines at a faster pace than the guidelines that have already been issued by ministries and agencies in various fields. It also needs to be supported by government-led research and development and verification, rather than classroom lectures or theoretical theories.
This guideline is the first step, and we will keep a close eye on how much maintenance and upkeep can be done.
