ChatGPT Founder Considers Expansion into Japan

Screens displaying the logos of OpenAI and ChatGPT are seen in
Toulouse, southwestern France, Jan. 23, 2023. (AFP Photo)
Screens displaying the logos of OpenAI and ChatGPT are seen in Toulouse, southwestern France, Jan. 23, 2023. (AFP Photo)
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ChatGPT Founder Considers Expansion into Japan

Screens displaying the logos of OpenAI and ChatGPT are seen in
Toulouse, southwestern France, Jan. 23, 2023. (AFP Photo)
Screens displaying the logos of OpenAI and ChatGPT are seen in Toulouse, southwestern France, Jan. 23, 2023. (AFP Photo)

The developer of ChatGPT said Monday that his company plans to open an office in Japan amid growing concerns about the chatbot's unauthorized collection of personal data and impact on learning environments.

According to the Japanese news Agency, Kyodo, Sam Altman, chief executive of US-based OpenAI, met Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, as the risks of artificial intelligence are expected to be discussed at the Group of Seven (G-7) ministerial gathering on digital issues, set to be held in Japan, in late April.

Altman told reporters that he explained to Kishida, head of the G-7 summit planned in Hiroshima this May, about the pros and cons of ChatGPT, noting that the prime minister showed interest in the AI technology.

The talks between Kishida and Altman came as many countries have enhanced regulations on the use of ChatGPT over suspicions that OpenAI illegally collects vast amounts of personal data from its users, and violates privacy.

Altman said he is ready to exchange views with policymakers across the globe on the AI technology and his firm's ChatGPT.

On Monday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Japan will explore using the chatbot technology to alleviate administrative burdens on government officials, but the move could only be realized if concerns about confidential information and personal data leaks were addressed.



Pope Leo Warns Politicians of the Challenges Posed by AI

This handout photograph taken and released by the Vatican Media on June 21 2025, shows Pope Leo XIV delivers his speech as he meets with participants in the Jubilee of the Rulers, in The Vatican. (Handout / Vatican Media / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by the Vatican Media on June 21 2025, shows Pope Leo XIV delivers his speech as he meets with participants in the Jubilee of the Rulers, in The Vatican. (Handout / Vatican Media / AFP)
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Pope Leo Warns Politicians of the Challenges Posed by AI

This handout photograph taken and released by the Vatican Media on June 21 2025, shows Pope Leo XIV delivers his speech as he meets with participants in the Jubilee of the Rulers, in The Vatican. (Handout / Vatican Media / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by the Vatican Media on June 21 2025, shows Pope Leo XIV delivers his speech as he meets with participants in the Jubilee of the Rulers, in The Vatican. (Handout / Vatican Media / AFP)

Pope Leo warned politicians on Saturday of the challenges posed by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), addressing its potential impact on younger people as a prime concern.

Speaking at an event attended by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and parliamentary delegations from 68 countries, Leo revisited a topic that he has raised on a number of occasions during the first few weeks of his papacy.

"In particular, it must not be forgotten that artificial intelligence functions as a tool for the good of human beings, not to diminish them or even to replace them," Leo said at an event held as part of the Roman Catholic Jubilee or Holy Year.

AI proponents say it will speed up scientific and technological progress and help people to carry out routine tasks, granting them more time to pursue higher-value and creative work.

The US-born pontiff said attention was needed to protect "healthy, fair and sound lifestyles, especially for the good of younger generations."

He noted that AI's "static memory" was in no way comparable to the "creative, dynamic" power of human memory.

"Our personal life has greater value than any algorithm, and social relationships require spaces for development that far transcend the limited patterns that any soulless machine can pre-package," he said.

Leo, who became pope in May, has spoken previously of the threat posed by AI to jobs and has called on journalists to use it responsibly.