In a bid to support scientific research and development in the country, the Japanese education ministry has plans to create a new generative AI program that can produce scientific and medical theories by using data from experimental images and research papers. Japan plans to initially use the AI program for material and medical research and add others areas in the future.
The pioneering AI program will revolutionize material and medical research. There are also plans to expand its purview to encompass diverse fields in the future. The ministry is charting its course to secure the necessary funds for this groundbreaking endeavor in the upcoming 2024 budget. The Japanese education ministry is projecting a budget of approximately 30 billion Japanese Yen (equivalent to $212 million)to the budget. Forecasts predict that the journey from conception to implementation will span eight years, ultimately culminating in the unveiling of this technology to the research community by 2031.
Central to the ministry’s strategic vision is the imperative to insulate Japan’s scientific innovation from potential vulnerabilities. By cultivating indigenous expertise in generative AI, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, Education, and Technology aims to bolster national competitiveness and enhance data security. This proactive stance is in response to concerns about the susceptibility of foreign technologies to leaks and breaches.
The ministry will train generative AI with research data that allows it to identify substances causing illnesses and design materials used in industrial and medical fields.
The project will assist the researchers with writing academic papers by researching past pieces of literature. The researchers can use the AI program in the future to propose new hypotheses.
Japan following US generative AI efforts
While Japan’s steadfast commitment to fostering generative AI research has garnered significant attention on the global stage, other developed countries are also making AI efforts. Notably, in the United States, the Argonne National Laboratory and the Department of Energy unveiled their own initiatives in May to harness AI for research purposes. The government has also earmarked essential infrastructure investments to facilitate the realization of these ambitious goals. Moreover, US tech giants like OpenAI and Google are the leading the charge for AI. Furthermore, the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Economy may introduce supercomputing capabilities to expedite research efforts in the coming year. This strategic enhancement will fortify the computational prowess of Riken’s supercomputer, thereby expediting the exploration of generative AI applications.
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