The Japanese government has unveiled a draft plan to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI) across the country.
Its goal is to raise AI adoption to 50 percent of the population initially, eventually reaching 80 percent.
The draft, which was obtained on Friday, stresses the importance of enhancing AI usage to foster the growth of Japan’s own AI technologies, according to Jiji Press.
The plan also aims to attract around 1 trillion yen (nearly $6.4 billion) in private-sector investment to support research and development.
The government intends to approve the programme at a Cabinet meeting by the end of the year.
Currently, AI adoption in Japan lags behind the US and China, where generative AI usage stands at 68.8 percent and 81.2 percent, compared with just 26.7 percent in Japan.
The draft stresses that AI should be integrated throughout society, serving as a crucial social infrastructure—both "an intellectual foundation and an execution platform" for the country’s future development.
