Microsoft backed artificial intelligence startup OpenAI made a pitch for business in Japan on Monday as it opened its first Asia office in Tokyo.
"This is just the first step in what I hope will be a
long-term partnership with the people of Japan, government leaders, businesses
and research institutions," OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a video message.
The startup, which has caused excitement among consumers
since the launch of its ChatGPT generative AI chatbot in late 2022, is looking
to grow new sources of revenue globally.
Altman and Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap have hosted
hundreds of Fortune 500 company executives in the United States and Britain
this month to pitch for business, Reuters has reported.
Last year Altman said he was considering a Japan location
after meeting Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The startup has also opened offices
in London and Dublin.
Japan hopes to take advantage of AI as it looks to compete
with an increasingly assertive China, accelerate the shift to digital services
and alleviate deepening labour shortages.
"We have a backlog of demand," Lightcap told
reporters in Tokyo, adding that "we expect a meaningful contribution from
Japan over time," without providing details.
OpenAI said it has a custom model optimised for the Japanese
language and that Tadao Nagasaki, who was president of Amazon Web Services in
Japan, is heading the Japan business.
While the country is seen as a laggard in the technology,
local companies including telcos SoftBank and NTT are investing in large
language models.
OpenAI's customers in Japan include automaker Toyota Motor,
manufacturer Daikin Industries and local government.
Microsoft said last week it would invest $2.9 billion over
two years in cloud and AI infrastructure in Japan, part of a wave of investment
globally by U.S. tech giants. -Reuters
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