On January 19, 2024, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) released draft AI Business Guidelines, and are requesting public comments on the same. In particular, the draft guidelines are aimed at providing artificial intelligence (AI) developers, providers, and business users with unified guiding principles for AI governance to promote the safe and secure use of AI.

The draft guidelines state that businesses that develop, provide, or use AI should strive to:

• prioritize human-centered development and use of AI, aligning with a philosophy that values human dignity;
• create value and solve social issues while ensuring safety and fairness and reducing societal risks linked to AI;
• protect privacy and prevent misuse of personal data, as well as secure AI systems against vulnerabilities and external threats; and
• maintain transparency and accountability by providing stakeholders with appropriate information to ensure AI systems are verifiable.

The draft guidelines also note that AI developers should:

• train AI using appropriate data;
• take reasonable steps to manage bias in AI;
• take into consideration human life, property, and the environment in the development of AI;
• take appropriate security measures; and
• document service terms.

Furthermore, the draft guidelines provide that AI business users should:

• ensure appropriate use with safety in mind;
• be mindful of bias and judge responsibly when using output results;
• be mindful of privacy violations;
• implement security measures; and
• provide information to relevant stakeholders.

Public comments can be submitted here until February 19, 2024. Views collected from the public consultation will be used to compile the first version of the AI Business Guidelines.

You can read the press release here and the draft guidelines here, both only available in Japanese.