The government is planning to launch a large-scale pilot program for Gennai, a generative artificial intelligence platform developed for internal use by civil servants, after the Golden Week holidays.
The initiative will make the platform available to about 180,000 government employees across 39 agencies, to be used to boost efficiency in administrative work such as documenting responses to lawmakers¡¯ questions in parliament.
The government hopes to accelerate AI adoption and encourage use and investments by the private sector amid criticism that the country has lagged behind other nations in embracing the technology.
In December, the government approved a basic plan under its AI law, stating that ¡°from the perspective of starting with oneself first,¡± the government should take the lead in proactively using AI.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi subsequently instructed government employees to ¡°carry out their work creatively and demonstrate to the public the value of trustworthy AI.¡±
Developed by the Digital Agency, Gennai ¡ª whose name is derived from ¡°generative AI¡± and Hiraga Gennai, a polymath of the Edo Period (1603-1867) ¡ª includes more than 30 applications, such as chat functions, document generation, meeting minute creation, translation, document summarization, parliamentary response searches, legal system research and transcription.
Because the platform operates in a government-only environment, officials say it can also address concerns over the possibility of state secret leaks.
By inputting questions submitted in advance by lawmakers, the system can draft parliamentary responses while maintaining consistency with past answers. It can also help prepare for follow-up questioning, potentially reducing the burden of parliamentary work, which has long been criticized as a source of excessive overtime for government employees.
The Digital Agency began trial operations of the platform in May last year. In a survey of participating employees, around 80% said the platform had contributed to their work.
The government plans to identify issues through the pilot program before fully launching Gennai in fiscal 2027. Officials say active participation from ministries and agencies will be essential for the rollout.
Digital minister Hisashi Matsumoto said he intends to lead by example in adopting the technology.
¡°I myself will have AI draft my parliamentary responses and take the initiative in using it,¡± he said.
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