OpenAI has announced that it will open a new office in Tokyo to further its expansion into the Asian market.
The new office will foster collaboration between the Japanese government, local companies and research institutions to develop AI tools tailored to Japan's unique requirements.
Tokyo was chosen as OpenAI's first Asian location due to its global leadership in technology, culture of service and innovative community.
“We are thrilled to be coming to Japan, a country with a rich history of people and technology coming together to achieve more,” said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. “We believe AI will accelerate work by making people more creative and productive, while also delivering broad value to current industries and new industries yet to be imagined.”
To ensure effective community engagement and lead OpenAI's efforts in Japan, Tadao Nagasaki has been appointed President of OpenAI Japan. Nagasaki's role will include leading commercial and market engagement efforts and building a local team to drive global operations, go-to-market, communications, operations, and other functions for Japan.
OpenAI will provide local companies with early access to a customized GPT-4 model optimized for the Japanese language. The custom model offers improved performance for translating and summarizing Japanese text, is cost-effective, and runs up to three times faster than previous models.
Speak, Japan's leading English learning app, says that a significant reduction in token costs has enabled instructors to explain things in Japanese faster, and that the quality of feedback from instructors has improved in many apps that have raised the per-user limit.
The new office brings OpenAI closer to leading companies such as Daikin, Rakuten, and Toyota Connected, who are leveraging ChatGPT Enterprise to streamline complex business operations, aid in data analysis, and improve internal reporting.
Local governments, including Yokosuka City, are adopting the technology to improve the efficiency of public services: Yokosuka City expanded access to ChatGPT to nearly all city employees, with 80 percent reporting increased productivity.
The Japanese government's role as a leading voice on AI policy, especially since chairing the Hiroshima AI Process, aims to promote AI development that is aligned with human dignity, diversity, inclusion, and a sustainable society. OpenAI aims to contribute to the local ecosystem and explore AI solutions to societal challenges such as depopulation and labor shortages within the region.
OpenAI's expansion into Japan underscores the company's global mission to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all humanity, and highlights the importance of incorporating diverse perspectives.
(Photo: Jezzael Melgoza)
reference: U.S. and Japan Announce Broad AI and Technology Cooperation
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