Internet Governance Forum 2023: Special Session on AI
[Provisional translation]
On October 9, 2023, Prime Minister Kishida attended the AI (Artificial Intelligence) special session of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2023 held in Kyoto city.
In his keynote message, the Prime Minister said:
On behalf of the host country, I would like to deliver a keynote message to you for the special session on AI at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Kyoto 2023.
Amidst the global debate over the potential and risks of generative AI, which is developing rapidly, it is gratifying that the international governance of generative AI is being discussed here in Japan by representatives from various sectors. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for taking part in this session.
Generative AI has been called a technological innovation comparable to the Internet. Just as the advent of the Internet has enabled people to connect beyond time and space constraints, and has brought about remarkable development in democracy, economy, and society. The creation of AI is about to change human history.
This year, I have been engaging in discussions with young researchers and AI developers, and I have seen the infinite possibilities of generative AI. Generative AI is expected to bring dramatic changes to the world by accelerating innovation in various fields, such as creation of new drugs and development of new medical treatment as well as improving operational efficiency.
The Government of Japan is planning to compile economic policy package by the end of this month that includes support for strengthening AI development capabilities such as for building computational services and foundational models as well as AI introduction support by SMEs and medical application. We will incorporate strong support for both AI development and utilization in that package.
On the other hand, with regard to generative AI, risks and issues that threaten the economy and society, such as sophisticated fake images and disinformation that cause social disruption, have been pointed out. A wide range of stakeholders need to play their roles. For example, in order to promote the distribution of reliable information, it would be effective to develop and promote the diffusion of technologies that can prove and confirm the originator of the information. The international community as a whole must share this understanding and deal with these issues in solidarity.
It is important now to gather the wisdom of mankind to balance between promotion and regulation while taking the possibilities and risks of generative AI into account in order to reduce the risks that generative AI poses to the economy and society.
With this in mind, at the G7 Hiroshima Summit, in order to promote international discussions toward the realization of reliable AI, I proposed the creation of the Hiroshima AI Process, which was agreed upon by the leaders, and the G7 leaders instructed their ministers in charge to deliver the results within this year.
The Hiroshima AI process is to develop by the end of this year the international guiding principles for all AI actors, as common principles indispensable for the realization of reliable AI.
In particular, as an urgent issue, we are working on international guiding principles and a code of conduct for developers of advanced AI systems including generated AI in preparation for the G7 Summit online meeting to be held this fall.
Generative AI is delivered across borders and is relevant to people around the world. For this reason, the Hiroshima AI Process will take advantage of this IGF opportunity to incorporate a wide range of views through multi-stakeholder discussions, including government, academia, civil society, and the private sector, such as this session.
By listening to the opinions of diverse stakeholders beyond the G7 who are participating today, we will lead the creation of international rules that will enable the entire international community, including the Global South, to enjoy the benefits of safe, secure, and reliable generative AI and to achieve further economic growth and improvement of living conditions.
Before closing, I would like to conclude my remarks by expressing my hope that this special session on AI will be a historic meeting in which meaningful discussions will be held among representatives of international organizations, governments, AI developers, researchers, and civil society that will later be remembered as a turning point in the discussion on Generative AI.
Thank you very much for your attention.
