(Update) Japan Lower House Passes AI Promotion Bill

   Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)--Japan's House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, passed a bill on Thursday to promote the development of artificial intelligence technology and take steps to mitigate its risks.
   The legislation is expected to be enacted during the current parliamentary session set to end in June after deliberations at the House of Councillors, the upper chamber.
   AI "will be the foundation of economic and social development and is an important technology from the viewpoint of security," the bill said.
   The bill calls for setting up a task force, to be led by the prime minister, to craft a basic plan to promote AI development in Japan, widely viewed as lagging behind Europe and the United States in the area.
   The legislation also warns that if AI technology is used for illegal purposes or in inappropriate ways, it could facilitate crimes, personal information theft and copyright infringement.

(2025/04/24-22:06)