ChatGPT fails to recognize Japanese Digital Transformation Minister Kono Taro

In a recent Bloomberg Television interview, Kono Taro disclosed that when he asked ChatGPT about himself, the AI model provided an incorrect response. He cautioned against relying solely on technology for accurate information. Additionally, Kono requested that his name be written in the Japanese style, with the surname preceding the given name.

As the current chair of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has formed a committee to investigate the economic prospects and potential risks of AI. Kono Taro made this statement while discussing the panel’s creation, emphasizing Japan’s desire to take a leading role in regulating this technology.

Recently, the digital ministers of the Group of Seven developed an action plan to encourage the use of “trustworthy AI.” Furthermore, this month, the European Union took a step towards tighter regulation of AI applications, including Google’s Bard and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

According to Kono Taro, the declining population in Japan has made it so that robots do not pose a threat to the labor force. As a result, Japan is more open to experimenting with new AI technologies. The government is presently in talks with Microsoft and other technology providers regarding the development of data sets. Kono expressed concerns about the under-representation of minority languages in comparison to English and its potential to cause data bias.

SoftBank Group Corp.’s mobile unit recently declared its participation in the worldwide competition to produce a version of OpenAI Inc.’s ChatGPT, joining a line of US and Chinese companies pursuing the same objective.

As Japan’s Digital Transformation Minister, Kono Taro has been battling against bureaucratic paperwork and antiquated technologies, such as fax machines and floppy disks. He intends to pass a bill this month that would eliminate such requirements from over 10,000 laws and regulations, which will involve searching through paperwork spanning several decades, according to him.

The Japanese government’s initiative to distribute ID cards to all residents as a means of simplifying the issuance of local government paperwork was derailed when cardholders received residency certificates intended for unrelated individuals, raising privacy concerns.

Kono Taro expressed his confidence that local governments would resume the program following extensive evaluations by Fujitsu Ltd., the system’s creator.

Kono Taro, who competed against Kishida in a run-off election for the leadership of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party in 2021, is known for being vocal and frequently ranks first in media surveys as the most capable person to serve as prime minister.

When questioned how ChatGPT identified him after entering a search about himself, Kono stated that the AI system referred to him as the “prime minister of Japan.”

(With inputs from Bloomberg)