EU-Japan to cooperate on AI, data flows
Cynthia Kroet
The European Union and Japan will announce a cooperation between the EU’s AI o ce and Japan’s Safety Institute at the EUJapan Digital Partnership Council on 30 April, according to minutes of telecom attaches seen by Euronews.
As a rst step towards interoperability, Japanese companies are encouraged to participate in the AI Pact, initiated by the European Commission to foster early compliance for companies on a voluntary basis with key provisions of the AI Act before it becomes generally applicable, the minutes say.
The EU’s AI Act, which regulates machine learning systems based on the risk they pose, is expected to formally become law in June, when the national governments sign o on the deal.
The AI o ce, an internal department within the Commission, will supervise the rules for general-purpose AI systems and function as a central coordination body for AI policy at EU level, coordinating with other Commission departments, EU agencies, companies and the 27 EU Member States. Recruitment for some technical roles has begun.
At the EU-Japan Council both sides will say they will support the so-called Hiroshima AI Process, set up by the G7 under Japan’s presidency in May 2023, with the aim of promoting safe, secure, and trustworthy AI. They plan to make a joint call at the OECD Ministerial meeting taking place in Paris on 2-3 May, for its swift implementation.
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Data Flows
In addition, the Commission and the Digital Agency of Japan will sign a Memorandum of Cooperation on Digital Identities and Trust Services to implement the socalled Data Free Flow with Trust. The countries will share experiences on digital identity initiatives - such as the EU Digital Identity Wallet - in order to achieve a positive impact for international trade and electronic commerce, but also for delivery of essential services.
The Digital Partnership between the two allies was signed in May 2022 during the 28th EUJapan Summit. The third meeting is set to take place in 2025 in Tokyo.
Last month (26 March), the EU and South Korea also announced a joint cooperation in the eld of technology. At their Digital Partnership Council, they launched a joint semiconductor research forum that will connect European and Korean researchers and facilitate joint research projects. The two sides will also explore developing common ways to improve security and resilience of chips supply chains.