Written by Sam Nassey
TOKYO (Reuters) – Microsoft-backed artificial intelligence startup OpenAI opened its first Asian office in Tokyo on Monday, pitching its business in Japan.
OpenAI CEO: “This is just the first step in what I hope will be a long-term partnership with the Japanese public, government leaders, businesses, and research institutions.” Sam Altman he said in a video message.
The startup, which has generated excitement among consumers since announcing its generative AI chatbot ChatGPT in late 2022, is looking to expand new revenue streams around the world.
Altman and Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap pitched the business this month to hundreds of Fortune 500 executives in the U.S. and U.K., Reuters reported.
Altman said he was considering hosting the event in Japan after meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last year. The startup has also opened offices in London and Dublin.
Japan wants to use AI to counter an increasingly assertive China, accelerate the transition to digital services, and ease a worsening labor shortage.
“There is pent-up demand,” Lightcap told reporters in Tokyo, adding that “in the long term we expect a meaningful contribution from Japan,” without providing further details.
OpenAI said it has custom models optimized for the Japanese language and that Tadao Nagasaki, former president of Amazon Web Services in Japan, will lead its Japan operations.
Although the country is considered to be behind in technology, local companies including telecom companies SoftBank and NTT are investing in language models at scale.
OpenAI's customers in Japan include carmaker Toyota Motor Corporation, manufacturer Daikin Industries, and local governments.
Microsoft announced last week that it would invest $2.9 billion in cloud and AI infrastructure in Japan over two years as part of a global investment by the US tech giant.
(Reporting by Sam Naschy; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
