Japan plans to increase public AI use to 80%

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Japanese government has drawn up a draft of its plan for the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI), with the goal of initially increasing AI adoption to 50% of the population, and eventually reaching 80%.

The draft, which was obtained on Friday, stresses the importance of enhancing AI usage to foster the growth of Japan’s own AI technologies, according to Jiji Press.

It also outlines a policy to attract approximately 1 trillion yen (nearly $6.4billion) in private-sector investment to boost research and development efforts. The government plans to approve the basic program in a cabinet meeting by the end of the year.

Currently, the US and China are leading in AI development, with generative AI usage rates at 68.8% and 81.2%, respectively, significantly higher than Japan’s 26.7%.

The draft underscores the need to increase AI utilization throughout society to support further development, positioning AI as a key social infrastructure, described as both "an intellectual foundation and an execution platform."