Help us develop non-English/Chinese AI models, Japan asks EU
ADVERTISEMENT
Japan is looking to cooperate with the EU on AI in an attempt to develop models that are not based on English and Chinese since these languages dominate generative models, a senior government official has told Euronews.
AI development was flagged as an area for Japan-EU cooperation by Motoki Kurita, the deputy director of Japan's Ministry of the Economy Trade and Industry's (METI) IT industries division.
'We think that the models for generative AI are skewed towards English and Chinese language models. So we believe we can work together on non-English and non-Chinese AI and we can share insights with the EU on data and spread that, expanding it to other regions that are non-English and non-Chinese speaking countries,' he told Euronews during a briefing in Tokyo.
'Many AI models currently represented by ChatGPT for example are not based on open algorithms, which means that we may be dependent on a model for which the prompt for which we receive an answer is unknown, so language barriers play a part,' Kurita added.
Generative AI models are language neutral in the way they interact with data, but most are developed by English and Chinese language developers, which may instil language-essential bias.
Unlike the EU, with its AI Act, Japan currently has no legal framework dedicated to AI but METI and MIC are working on an AI Guideline for Business.
'We are cooperating with the US, looking at each other's guidelines for overlaps, and we'll publicise the results,' Kurita said, adding that AI regulations need to be interoperable because they need to work across borders.
He said that it would also be an option 'to spread that initiative to other countries including the EU since we believe there is a lot we can learn from the EU.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Local France
3 hours ago
- Local France
OPINION: Give up the search for loopholes - French bureaucracy always wins
To egregiously butcher William Goldman's classic line - 'There are no French admin loopholes, Highness, anyone who says differently is selling something'. France's complex admin means that foreign residents and future arrivals are often left looking for shortcuts, easy options and loopholes - an entirely understandable reaction when you consider the bureaucratic pain that France enjoys inflicting on its inhabitants. It's also a famously high tax country, which means that plenty of people are on the lookout for, shall we say, more forgiving tax arrangements. This one is perhaps less understandable - especially if it comes in the next breath after raptures of delight over France's excellent public services - but it's always going to be human nature to try. The thing is - there really are very few genuine loopholes when it comes to French residency and taxes, especially when it comes to non-EU nationals who come within the visa/residency card system. Advertisement Sure, you might think you've found a loophole - but these almost always end up causing you more problems down the line, especially if your goal is to make France your home. When it comes to people who just want to be here for a couple of years there is a little more wriggle room - but for those who intend to stay in France and will therefore eventually be seeking long-term residency and perhaps even citizenship, trying to exploit a loophole is almost always going to cause you further administrative pain in the future. In my experience the people who genuinely set out to cheat the French system are few and far between - a much more common scenario is people who have simply been given bad advice about a shortcut or loophole that they could take advantage of. At The Local we often get emails from readers who are experiencing problems with French systems - and the people stuck in the worst tangles are almost always those who have at one point been given bad advice. Here are some examples; The 80-year-old lady who had been breezily assured that there was no need for her to do a tax declaration in France, and is now living in fear of fines from the tax office for having failed to make the required annual déclaration des revenus . The British second-home owner who had been advised to get a post-Brexit carte de séjour as a way to 'cheat' the 90 day rule and now finds themselves required to make a French tax declaration and re-register their cars. The American tech worker who had been advised to get the 'more straightforward' visitor visa and then simply swap it for a working visa once they arrived and now finds themselves unable to work for months on end while the request to switch statuses is considered, rejected and appealed. Because France is a popular destination to move to, attracting all groups from retirees to young families, students to workers, a whole industry has grown up around giving advice on navigating the French immigration and tax system. Advertisement There's an entire sector of 'relocation experts', 'hand-holders' or 'concierge services' which specialise in helping foreigners to move to France. Many of these services are great and offer sound advice and insight based on experience with French systems. The good ones should also explain future ramifications of your decisions. However, some give wildly differing advice and it's not always easy to know who is right and who to trust. There's no doubt some of these services can be very helpful when it comes to finding a place to live and setting up services like utilities - I used one when I first moved and they were worth every centime in helping to navigate the notoriously tricky Paris rental market. However, if emails from readers are anything to go by, there also seems to be an increasing trend of these services offering legal advice on issues such as residency, visas and tax status. Advertisement While many are very knowledgeable and diligent with their guidance, the reality is this sector is completely unregulated - meaning that you have absolutely no comeback if you are given incorrect advice. More importantly, you will be then one then left struggling to deal with your irregular residency or tax status while the hand-holder has banked the cheque and moved on. Take this one email we received from an American reader who wanted to warn others of the "pain and damage" one expat visa adviser caused them. He said: "We contacted a well-known expat who is regarded as an expert in visa related issues in France. "We paid them €5,000 to organise a passport talent visa. At first, all was fine, but they soon stopped responding to our emails. To make matters worse, they barely did any work for us. "It turned out that there are dozens of fellow expats in the same position." Advertisement So what can people do? The standard advice is to talk to a lawyer for anything related to residency, and an accountant for tax advice. But even here there are caveats - first you need to ensure that your expert is qualified and registered in both France and your home country, and that they specialise in advising expats/immigrants. Second is that you need to speak to both - a lawyer will undoubtedly give you good advice about visas, but will that leave you with tax problems? The lawyer might not flag that up, because its not their area of expertise, but that doesn't mean there won't be problems. And vice versa, your accountant's advice might be perfectly sound when it comes to tax but it might screw up your residency. It's also well worth speaking to several experts, especially if your personal situation is complicated or you're trying to do something slightly out of the usual run of things. When it comes to tricky issues like remote work while on a visitor visa , different lawyers will tell you different things. It's tempting to go with the one who tells you what you want to hear, but it's a better idea in the long run to get several viewpoints on a situation. Even though you do have more recourse if you get bad advice from a lawyer or accountant , it's ultimately you who will have to deal with any ensuing problems with French admin. If you find yourself in breach of the rules, saying 'my lawyer said it would be OK' is unfortunately no defence at all. Remember also that getting your French visa is only the first step - ask questions about what happens next; will you be able to renew it or obtain your carte de séjour easily? Will you be able to get long-term residency one day? What will your plans mean for your tax status? Will your chosen path make it difficult for you to get French citizenship one day? The French residency card and tax systems are designed to be used by individuals; beware of anyone suggesting that you will need a lawyer or accountant for every renewal/annual tax declaration - they're either just trawling for business or they're setting up a residency or tax status so complicated that you'll be forced to pay for professional advice for every dealing with French admin. And above all, remember the old saying - "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is". If there truly were a quick and easy shortcut to long-term French residency with no taxes, then everyone would be using it - we're not handing over a third of our monthly income and spending hours in a queue at the préfecture because we find this a fun hobby. It's because we have learned the greater truths - French admin always wins; there are no loopholes; liberté, égalité, bureaucratié . You can find more information on all things residency and tax related in our Moving to France section. Feel free to share your experiences in the comments section below
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
Graz holds Mass for victims of Austria's deadliest shooting since WWII
Several hundred people attended a Mass in Graz for the 10 victims of Austria's deadliest shooting in its post-war history on Tuesday evening. Ten people, including students, were killed and others injured on Tuesday after a gunman opened fire at a school in Austria's second-biggest city before killing himself, according to authorities. There was no immediate information on the motive of the 21-year-old former student of the school, who had no previous police records. Austria's Press Agency said the authorities seized a suicide note reportedly belonging to the attacker, which provided no clues as to why he carried out the attack. He owned two weapons which he used to carry out the assault, both of which he legally owned. Austria's Chancellor Christian Stocker, Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler and Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger attended the Mass for the victims at Graz Cathedral. 'Today is a dark day in the history of our country,' Stocker told reporters in the city of about 300,000 people in southern Austria and the capital of Styria. The day was 'a national tragedy that shocks us deeply', he said as he declared three days of national mourning, with the Austrian flag lowered to half-mast at official buildings. A national minute of silence is to be held on Wednesday morning in memory of the victims. Resident Elisabeth Schuster, who came to the Mass to show solidarity with the victims of the tragedy, said the incident "shocked me a lot like everybody else." "I'm with them, feel for them. And I hope that together we can find a way, so that something like this never happens again," she added. In Graz's main square people also gathered for a candle-lit vigil to mourn the victims of the fatal attack. Cobra special forces were among those sent as part of the first response team to the BORG Dreierschützengasse high school, about a kilometre from Graz's historic centre, after calls at 10 am local time reporting shots at the building. More than 300 police officers were also deployed to the scene, who helped evacuate students from the school. Footage from the scene showed students filing out quickly past armed officers. Police said security was restored in 17 minutes. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said the gunman had been a student at the school who had failed to complete his studies. Austria has some of the more liberal gun laws in the EU.
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
Guterres urges countries to join ocean pact before point of no return
After receiving historic support for the High Seas Treaty at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday that its entry into force is "within sight". The treaty, which provides a legal framework for establishing marine protected areas and regulating activities on the high seas, gained momentum on Monday. However, its implementation is not yet guaranteed. Guterres urged all remaining nations to ratify the pact quickly to make it legally binding. During his address, he highlighted significant opposition to the treaty's goals. "There is a tipping point approaching, beyond which recovery may become impossible. And let us be clear. Powerful interests are pushing us towards the brink," Guterres stated. "We are facing a hard battle against a clear enemy. Its name is greed. Greed that sows doubt, denies science, distorts truths, rewards corruption, and destroys life for profit." If it comes into force, the treaty would be the first legally binding international agreement to protect biodiversity on the high seas, which cover nearly two-thirds of the world's oceans. It is considered vital to counter overfishing, end plastic pollution, regulate seabed mining, and meet the global '30 by 30' conservation goal, which aims to protect 30 per cent of the planet's oceans by 2030. Stressing the urgency, Guterres also reminded delegates that climate change goals cannot be ignored. "Last year, for the first time, the annual global temperature was 1.5 degrees Celsius hotter than pre-industrial times. Scientists are clear that that does not mean that the long-term global temperature rise limit of 1.5 degrees is out of reach," he said. "It means we need to fight harder. And the ocean depends on it, and so do we." Eighteen countries ratified the treaty on Monday, bringing the total to 49, just 11 short of the 60 needed for the ocean agreement to enter into force. The surge in support adds momentum to what could become a historic shift in how the world governs the open ocean. The French Senate overwhelmingly backed a new bill designed to regulate low-cost clothing giants on Tuesday, mainly targeting Chinese e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu. The text aims to tackle the environmental and economic consequences of fast fashion, a model that thrives on mass production and low prices. The legislation introduces an eco-score system that will evaluate the environmental impact of products sold by fast fashion companies, including emissions, resource use, and recyclability. Brands with the lowest scores could be taxed up to €5 per item starting in 2025, increasing to €10 by 2030. However, the tax cannot exceed 50% of the item's retail price. It also includes a ban on advertising for ultra-fast fashion brands and sanctions for influencers who promote them online. While the bill takes aim at ultra-fast fashion platforms like Shein and Temu, it notably spares major European players such as Zara, H&M, and Kiabi from the harshest penalties. Environmental groups have criticised the revised bill for what they see as a weakened ambition. 'It's a missed opportunity,' said Pierre Condamine, campaign manager at Friends of the Earth France. 'We've got a text that's going to target two brands and therefore leave out what represents at least 90% of production and clothing sold in France. So it's a missed opportunity. We could have a real environmental ambition. We are very disappointed because, in the end, we can see that it's economic protection that has become the major driving force behind this bill. In contrast, at its beginning, there was an ambition to move the sector towards more sustainable practices," he told Euronews. But some French lawmakers argue the bill needs to protect European industries first. 'Unfortunately, we have no choice,' said conservative Senator Sylvie Valente Le Hir. 'Today, we still have to defend what's left of our European industries. We have to make a distinction between the production that's done in China by these giants. We're talking about scales that are 100 times larger than us. So we're preserving European and French industries for the time being, because if we don't, there will be nothing left," she told Euronews. Shein spokesperson Quentin Ruffat responded to the bill earlier this week, warning that the text could "impact the purchasing power" of French consumers. Between 2010 and 2023, the value of advertised fast fashion products in France rose from €2.3 billion to €3.2 billion. In France, 35 clothing items are discarded every second, according to the country's environment agency Ademe. The Senate passed the bill with 337 votes in favour and only one against. The text will now move to a joint committee of senators and deputies in September. The European Commission will also need to be notified to ensure the bill complies with EU regulations. If passed, it would mark one of the most aggressive legislative efforts in Europe to address the toll of fast fashion, though its ultimate impact remains to be seen.
