OpenAI is expanding into Japan with the opening of a new office in Tokyo, and plans to have its GPT-4 model specifically optimized for Japanese.
Microsoft-backed artificial intelligence startup OpenAI, which has been making waves since launching its synthetic AI chatbot called ChatGPT in late 2022, is looking to develop new revenue streams globally.
The Tokyo facility will be OpenAI’s first office in Asia and fourth in the world . In an announcement on April 15, the San Francisco-based AI startup said that Tadao Nagasaki, former president of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Japan, will be the new president of OpenAI Japan and lead its commercial and market efforts in the “land of the rising sun”.
Mr. Nagasaki will be responsible for helping OpenAI build a local team in Japan to drive global issues, market access, communications, operations and other activities.
The opening of a new office in Tokyo is significant for OpenAI. It underscores the opportunity the company sees in doing business in Japan and highlights how OpenAI will likely need to localize its technology into different languages as it expands.
“We are excited to be here in Japan, where there is a rich history of people and technology coming together to do more,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a video message. “We believe AI will accelerate work by empowering people to be more creative and productive, while bringing vast value to existing and new industries we can’t even imagine yet.”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Photo: Sky News
OpenAI is the latest in a series of US tech companies to establish and strengthen ties with Japan since Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a state visit to Washington DC last week.
The startup, which is currently leading the global AI race, said it will collaborate with the Japanese government, local businesses and research institutions to develop “safe AI tools” that serve “Japan’s unique needs and open up new opportunities.”
ChatGPT has long been able to communicate in multiple languages, including Japanese. But optimizing the latest version of the basic GPT LLM specifically for Japanese will help it improve its understanding of the nuances of the Japanese language, including cultural understanding.
This should make it more effective, especially in business environments like customer service and content creation. OpenAI also says its custom model has improved performance, meaning it should be faster and more cost-effective than its predecessor.
“We chose Tokyo for our first Asia office because of its global leadership in technology, service culture, and a community that values innovation,” OpenAI said.
Last week, Microsoft said it would invest nearly $2.9 billion in Japan over the next two years to boost its AI and cloud infrastructure and invest in the digital skills of its people.
Last September, Dublin, Ireland, became the third city to host an OpenAI office, following its headquarters in San Francisco and the London, UK, office that opened last June – the company’s first outside the US .
Minh Duc (According to Tech Crunch, Silicon Republic)
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