Japan Allows Limited Use of Generative AI in Schools

The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology intends to grant elementary and secondary schools limited access to generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the classroom.

A source close to the situation told a local news outlet that generative AI tools, such as the popular chatbot ChatGPT, will be permitted to facilitate classroom discussions and artistic activities, among other applications.

Officials have stated that the indiscriminate use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools will not be permitted, and they plan to release school guidelines in July.

The proposed guidelines state that it is essential to “cultivate abilities to use generative AI thoughtfully” and recommend a restricted introduction of the technology.

It also mandates that instructors inform students that using AI for exams or classwork constitutes cheating. The guidelines encourage instructors and students to exercise caution when entering data into AI systems.

The Japanese Education Ministry’s announcement comes as regulators contend with how to regulate and implement the technology nationally.

Japanese officials initially openly supported OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot when countries such as Italy prohibited the technology and other doubts arose regarding its application.

However, shortly after that, Takashi Kii, a Japanese lawmaker, stated that he was pressing for regulations protecting copyright holders against AI infringement.

The following day, OpenAI received a warning from Japanese legislators regarding its data collection methods and was asked to minimize the sensitive data it collects.

In April, a small sample of eligible electors in Japan were polled about their concerns regarding artificial intelligence, and 69.4% of those surveyed said they favor stricter regulations for AI development and implementation.