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Japan\u2019s largest telecommunications company and largest newspaper have issued a stark warning about the artificial intelligence, saying that if it\u2019s allowed to go unchecked, it could result in the collapse of society as we know it. \u00a0The technology is also \u201cexpected to improve labor productivity to a certain degree,\u201d they add.<\/p>\n
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone<\/a> (NTT) and Yomiuri Shimbun Group Holdings on Monday released a joint proposal<\/a> on shaping generative AI, urging officials to revise laws surrounding the technology and saying AI is already having negative impacts on users.<\/p>\n \u201cIf generative AI is allowed to go unchecked, trust in society as a whole may be damaged<\/a> as people grow distrustful of one another and incentives are lost for guaranteeing authenticity and trustworthiness,\u201d the paper read. \u201cThere is a concern that, in the worst-case scenario, democracy and social order could collapse, resulting in wars.\u201d<\/p>\n Humans, the two companies said, are incapable of fully controlling this technology, noting AI \u201clies with confidence\u201d and humans \u201care easily fooled.\u201d The design of AI systems to grab users\u2019 attentions has also been detrimental, the paper argues, damaging \u201cautonomy and dignity, which are essential values that allow individuals in our society to be free\u201d.<\/p>\n The proposal is further critical of AI being used in schools, especially for younger students whose \u201cability to make appropriate decisions has not fully matured\u201d.<\/p>\n The group calls on Japan\u2019s government to take action, including the passage of laws that protect elections and national security and stronger copyright laws. Recognizing that any legal reforms will take time, the organizations are calling on the media and industrial leaders in the country to introduce rules surrounding the dissemination of AI technologies.<\/p>\n While the report was cautious of AI\u2019s downsides, it was not dismissive of the technology as a whole, noting the genie is long out of the bottle\u2014and there was no going back.<\/p>\n \u201cAI technology itself is already indispensable to society,\u201d the companies said<\/a>. \u201cIf AI technology is dismissed as a whole as untrustworthy due to out-of-control generative AI, humanity\u2019s productivity may decline.\u201d<\/p>\n Japan, like the U.S., has been gridlocked on the matter of AI regulation. The European Union, meanwhile, has already ratified a provisional agreement<\/a> setting AI rules that could set the tone for how other countries acts next.<\/p>\n The AI Act<\/a>, as it is called, sets rules for a number of industries, from banking to transportation, as well as guidelines for how law enforcement can use AI in their duties. Also covered is how large language models can be built, so as to protect both individual privacy and corporate secrets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nSubscribe to the Eye on AI newsletter to stay abreast of how AI is shaping the future of business. Sign up<\/a> for free.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n