Education ministers from the Group of Seven countries on Sunday confirmed the need to mitigate risks associated with generative artificial intelligence, including AI bot ChatGPT, on learning, while hailing the advance of the technology.
The ministers also agreed on the importance of continued understanding regarding issues stemming from the fast-developing technology that has captured public attention since the launch of ChatGPT by U.S. firm OpenAI in November 2022.
AI bots are software applications trained using massive amounts of data from the internet and other sources, enabling them to process and simulate human-like conversations with users. ChatGPT can be prompted to edit text and produce essays.
Japan said that during the talks it presented arguments highlighting the benefits of using generative AI, but also raised concerns about the negative effects of the technology, such as a possible reduction in critical thinking skills and potential copyright infringement.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at a government panel to discuss AI strategy, "It is necessary for Japan, as the G-7 chair, to exercise leadership in promoting common understanding and establishing rules."
Responses to the technology among the G-7 major industrialized states have varied. Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has said it plans to introduce guidelines on AI usage in school settings within the 2023 academic year.
The G-7 ministers are scheduled to continue their talks in Japan's central city of Kanazawa through Monday. The first half of the two-day meeting from Friday was held in Toyama, the capital of the neighboring central Japan prefecture of the same name.
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