At the G7 Hiroshima Summit inMay 2023, leaders confirmed theneed for generative AI governanceand agreed to establish theHiroshima AI Process as a forum
for further discussion.

THE HIROSHIMA AI PROCESS:LEADING THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE TOSHAPE INCLUSIVEGOVERNANCE FOR
GENERATIVE AI

Amid the growing global debate over advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems such as generative AI, the Hiroshima
AI Process was launched by the G7 under Japan’s presidency in May 2023, with the aim of promoting safe, secure, andtrustworthy AI. This article delves into the significance of its output, the Hiroshima AI Process Comprehensive Policy
Framework—the world’s first international effort toward that end.
The rapid development andspread of advanced AI systems
such as generative AI have become
an important global issue in recentyears. The Hiroshima AI Process
was launched in May 2023 forinternational discussion, following
the Leaders’ direction at the G7
Hiroshima Summit under Japan’spresidency. Recognizing the needto build up and promote inclusive
global governance on AI inorder to maximize its innovative
opportunities while mitigating
the risks and challenges fromadvanced AI systems, work began
on establishing internationalrules to serve as the foundationof such governance. And inDecember of last year, agreement
was reached on the world’s
first international framework,
known as the Hiroshima AI
Process Comprehensive Policy
Prime Minister Kishida participated online in
the inaugural AI Safety Summit hosted by theU.K. in November 2023. He stated that hewould like to work closely with such efforts todrive the creation of rules that would benefit theinternational community as a whole.

Framework.
The framework presents a setof elements, including both the“Hiroshima Process International
Guiding Principles for All AIActors” and the “Hiroshima Process
International Code of Conduct
for Organizations Developing
Advanced AI Systems.” TheInternational Guiding Principles
are the set of principles that should
be applied to all actors acrossthe AI lifecycle. In addition toprinciples mainly geared toward
AI developers, such as publicly
reporting advanced AI systems’capabilities and domains of
inappropriate use, and protecting
intellectual property, they also

include those that call on users toimprove digital literacy dealing
with such risks as disinformation.
The International Code ofConduct, on the other hand, lists
in more detail the actions that AI
developers must abide by. A certain
level of abstraction is employedin the wording of both theInternational Guiding Principles
and the International Code ofConduct so that stakeholders fromvarious perspectives can agree onthem. Yet at the same time, theInternational Code of Conduct
also contains some referencesthat are more detailed, ranging
from examples of risks requiring
the attention of developers to thedevelopment and deploymentof technology enabling users toidentify AI-generated content.
“While prioritizing international
consensus building, it is also very
important to be as specific aspossible. In that sense, it was agreat achievement to have beenable to include a certain level ofspecificity here,” said Professor
MATSUO Yutaka of the Graduate
School of Engineering at theUniversity of Tokyo, who alsochairs the Government of Japan’s
AI Strategy Council.
Matsuo also pointed out that
it was of paramount significancethat this international framework,
which could serve as a commonfoundation, was realized just sevenmonths after the launch of theHiroshima AI Process. “Speedis of the essence here becausetechnology is advancing at such arapid pace.”
From now on, the G7 plans
to expand outreach to partner
governments to broaden support

for the International Guiding
Principles and the International
Code of Conduct, and to further
advance the Hiroshima AI Process
by intensifying coordination andcooperation across multilateral
forums including at theOrganisation for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) and the United Nations(UN). Japan is slated to inaugurate
the AI Safety Institute, whose roles
will include conducting research
on AI safety evaluation methods.
The country additionally plans
to establish the Tokyo Centerof the Global Partnership on AI(GPAI)—an international publicprivate partnership—to conduct
research and analysis on generativeAI.
According to Matsuo, “Overall,Japan tends to take a positive
stance on the development anduse of AI. Simultaneously, it isactively engaged in ensuringsafety, thus placing itself in themiddle ground between those in

the world who promote the useof AI and those who lean toward
regulation. It will be important
to demonstrate Japan’s leadershipin the future while continuing tobalance international discussions
on AI.”
With the goal of promoting
safe, secure, and trustworthy AI,
Japan will promote the outcomesof the Hiroshima AI Process while
continuing to strengthen global
dialogue and cooperation.

As AI capabilities improve further, discussions
on an international framework will become
increasingly important, said Professor MATSUO
Yutaka of the University of Tokyo’s Graduate
School of Engineering, who chairs Japan’s AI
Strategy Council.