The head of Meta spoke on Tuesday with the Japanese Prime Minister about the risks of generative artificial intelligence (AI), a technology that raises many ethical questions and risks disrupting a wide range of areas of activity.
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Mark Zuckerberg and Fumio Kishida discussed “a variety of topics in Tokyo, including the technological advances of AI,” government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters on Wednesday.
“We had good, productive discussions about AI and the future of technology,” Mr. Zuckerberg, 39, said at the end of that thirty-minute interview, according to comments on public broadcaster NHK.
“I’m really excited about the work being done here in Japan,” said the head of Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp).
Mr. Zuckerberg has been in Japan in recent days, mixing business meetings with moments of relaxation: in particular, he played the apprentice blacksmith in a traditional Japanese sword workshop.
He then arrived in Seoul, the South Korean capital, on a private flight on Tuesday evening to begin the second leg of his trip to Asia, local media Maeil Business News reported.
According to local media, he is expected to meet South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
According to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, the American billionaire met with tech giant LG Electronics' CEO Cho Joo-wan to discuss augmented reality (XR) projects, a term that includes virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality.
According to the Korea Economic Daily newspaper, Zuckerberg is working with LG to develop a mixed reality headset that will compete with Apple's Vision Pro.
According to South Korean media, the Meta boss also plans to meet with the head of Samsung Electronics, one of the largest manufacturers of smartphones and electronic chips. Yonhap said he is also scheduled to meet with augmented reality startups at Meta's headquarters in Seoul.
According to the same source, Mr Zuckerberg has to leave the country on Thursday to travel to India. According to Indian media, he is expected to take part in gigantic celebrations before the wedding of one of the sons of Mukesh Ambani, the wealthy boss of Reliance Industries.
The so-called generative AI, made known worldwide by ChatGPT, the conversation agent of the American company OpenAI, makes it possible to create texts, images, sound files or even videos in everyday language upon simple request.
The increased potential of AI through recent advances has led to serious concerns (risks related to employment, intellectual property, fraud, etc.), attempts at regulation, but also enthusiasm, particularly in Silicon Valley in the US.