Japan leads G7 in drafting code of conduct for generative AI

Digital watermarking will be prioritised to verify AI-generated content under a proposed AI code of conduct.
By: | October 11, 2023

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to reveal plans for the Group of Seven (G7) nations to collaborate on establishing a code of conduct for developers of generative AI as early as this fall.

Details of the plan is expected to be revealed during an upcoming session about AI at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Kyoto, which is discussing a wide range of challenges related to the Internet. Kishida is also expected to stress the importance of technology to identify content sources to counter misinformation.

Japan, as the G7 chair this year, leads the Hiroshima AI Process, a framework designed to facilitate discussions among G7 nations on how to regulate generative AI. To address potential risks, the government aims to swiftly devise measures for generative AI developers before the formulation of international guidelines covering both developers and users.

The forthcoming code of conduct is expected to instruct AI developers to provide disclosures regarding their system functions and potential risks to ensure transparency in AI technology. Additionally, the code will emphasise the development of digital watermarking technology, enabling individuals to ascertain whether content has been generated by AI.

Kishida will emphasise the need to balance generative AI promotion and regulation, citing potential societal threats like fake visual content and misinformation. He will also advocate for technologies to verify content origins, possibly referring to Originator Profile (OP) technology that embeds electronic identifiers into distributed data.

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Furthermore, Kishida will unveil plans to aid basic model development and computational resources, pivotal for data processing systems, in its upcoming economic measures, set for finalisation in late October, reported The Japan News.