OpenAI opens office in Japan amid increased scrutiny from EU regulators

ChatGPT maker OpenAI has opened an office in Japan, demonstrating its strong commitment to expanding its artificial intelligence (AI) products into new markets.

From the new hub, located in Japan’s capital Tokyo, OpenAI will launch tailored services for businesses and other chatbot users. Described as its first office outside of Europe, OpenAI says choosing Japan was an easy choice given its “service culture” and forward-thinking community.

“We’re excited to be coming to Japan, a country with a rich history of people and technology coming together to achieve more,” said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. “We believe AI will accelerate work by empowering people to be more creative and productive while delivering broad value to current and new industries not yet imagined.”

As part of the hub launch, Open AI said it will release a GPT-4 custom model tailored to the Japanese language to meet cultural nuances. Initial tests have confirmed that the upcoming upgrade has demonstrated the ability to translate Japanese text three times faster than previous versions.

Tadao Nagasaki has been appointed as the new president of OpenAI Japan, with the AI ​​company confirming a major hiring spree to bolster its ranks. In particular, OpenAI Japan is working to fill vacancies in communications, operations, global operations and go-to-market, and demand for machine learning experts remains high.

Altman said the decision to enter Japan will provide several ancillary benefits to OpenAI. First of all, this move brings the company one step closer to several local companies using ChatGPT Enterprise, including Rakuten (NASDAQ: RKUNF), TOYOTA Connected, and Daiken.

While corporations appear to be the main users of OpenAI products, managers in the city of Yokosuka have used ChatGPT to improve public services in the area.

“Having a global presence allows us to learn from a variety of perspectives, which is critical to our mission to ensure that AGI benefits all humanity,” OpenAI said.

Currently, OpenAI has offices in the US, Ireland, and the UK, and Altman’s global tour in 2023 appears to be an attempt by the AI ​​developer to shop around for friendlier jurisdictions.

numerous challenges

OpenAI has previously had difficulties with Japanese regulators after receiving stern warnings about its data collection methods. The warning comes from Japan’s Personal Information Protection Commission in mid-2023, which found 70% of citizens surveyed were calling for stricter regulation of AI and other emerging technologies.

OpenAI has had a difficult time in Europe. Italian regulators have accused US-based OpenAI of violating data protection rules. Despite concerns about privacy issues, antitrust authorities in the US and UK are investigating the company following its multi-year partnership with Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT).

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