AI Research and Development Enters a New Phase

　According to a paper entitled “The Collaboration of 3 Ministries for AI Research,” 3 government ministries, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry are collaborating to promote basic research, applied research, standardization, and human resources development in the field of artificial intelligence.

　Research and development, as well as demonstrations, will be conducted with the goal of implementation of the Internet of Things, with AI at the core, in society and business. The accumulation of big data in each field, and the quantitative and qualitative expansion of sensors are advancing the IoT. The collaboration between government ministries is meant to avoid focusing on AI research alone, and to work towards implementation in society.

　Newspapers reported that in order to promote cooperative development with over 20 companies, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology will request 10 billion yen, which will become 100 billion yen over 10 years.

　The idea has impact, but will it work? and other typical concerns are coming up. The thought comes to mind that if Google, Apple, and other corporate giants invest about that much into the field a year, can the country really afford to spend its meager tax revenues this way? It's hard to forget that the development of the 5th generation of computers cost 50 billion yen over 10 years and still failed.

　Apparently, however, this move is different from what has happened up till now. That's what I felt after speaking with officials at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. I offer 3 possible reasons.

1. Selection

　In April of 2016, Riken Institute of Physical and Chemical Research launched the Center for Artificial Intelligence Project. Masashi Sugiyama, a 41-year-old University of Tokyo professor, was made director of the center. This shows an intention to entrust this project to the young.

　While putting heavyweights like Takeo Kanade of Carnegie Mellon University and Masaru Kitsuregawa, director of the National Institute of Informatics in charge as advisors, Dr. Sugiyama has deployed 30 up-and-coming researchers, mostly in their 30s and 40s, to work underneath him.

　The AIP Center would prefer researchers in their 20s, but compared to every other such national policy up till now, which mainly involved people in their 50s and 60s, this is a drastically different human resources policy. The government is showing its sense of impending crisis.

2. Integration

　When one hears of a collaboration between 3 ministries, the typical image of a meeting with 3 representative bureaucrats shaking hands and not doing much of substance comes to mind. However, this time the Riken Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, each administered by one of the 3 ministries, will work together.

　If the community comes together as one, and if the government gives its encouragement, the researchers will be filled with strength.

　Back when the 5th generation computer plan was proposed to the (former) Ministry of International Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications was promoting a plan for the development of a phone with automated translation (that I was in charge of), and there was ruthless competition with, and even opposition to, AI development. It was the epitome of the adverse effect of a vertically divided government. Competition has value, but the Japan of today can’t afford it.

　This time it is clearly evident that they mean to work together.

3. Humanities

　The Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society established the field of the human and information ecosystem, which deals with social problems caused by technology such as AI, IoT, big data, etc.

　They will be tackling such themes as law and regulations, ethics and philosophy, economics and employment, education, etc.

　AI and robots will steal human jobs. Or they will cause accidents. The distribution of information will lead to an incident. How can these and other anxieties floating around in society be eliminated, or what measures can be taken to counter them? What does society want from the progress of technology?

　In conjunction with the development of AI, expertise in these human matters also needs to be mobilized. Even if AI technology is the same throughout the world, society’s reception of it is a local problem. Whatever other countries do, Japan needs to deal with it. I see seriousness in the attitude towards development integrating humanities and the sciences.