OpenAI Opens First Asia Office in Tokyo
OpenAI continued its push for greater global market share and major influence today as it opened its first Asia office in Tokyo and unveiled a Japanese GPT-4 model.
The Microsoft-backed company is “committed to collaborating with the Japanese government, local businesses, and research institutions to develop safe AI tools that serve Japan’s unique needs and to unlock new opportunities.”
“We’re excited to be in Japan which has a rich history of people and technology coming together to do more.”
This month, Altman, alongside Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap, have been diligently courting the who’s who of corporate America and the UK’s business elite, sources say. The duo’s energetic campaign through the boardrooms of the Fortune 500 seeks not merely clients, but transformative partnerships.
Last year, a promising dialogue between Altman and Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sparked serious considerations of a Tokyo expansion. Indeed, the company has already planted its flag in Europe with new outposts in London and Dublin.
Japan itself is poised to harness AI’s potential as a strategic lever in its broader regional and global ambitions. Facing an assertive China, the country is not just looking to sharpen its competitive edge but also to catalyze its digital transformation and address pressing labor shortages. This aligns well with Altman’s vision, which may find fertile ground in Tokyo’s blend of technological zeal and economic imperatives.
“We’re excited to be in Japan which has a rich history of people and technology coming together to do more. We believe AI will accelerate work by empowering people to be more creative and productive, while also delivering broad value to current and new industries that have yet to be imagined.” added Altman.
In Tokyo, Lightcap signaled strong demand for their AI services, noting that Japan is expected to significantly contribute to their growth, though details were sparse.
OpenAI is deepening its commitment to the Japanese market with a specially optimized AI model for the Japanese language. Leading the charge is Tadao Nagasaki, the former head of Amazon Web Services in Japan, bringing valuable expertise to the initiative and its roll out.
Contrary to its image as a tech laggard, Japan is seeing its major corporations, including telecommunications giants SoftBank and NTT, invest heavily in advanced AI technologies.
This push indicates a robust, growing interest in leveraging AI to strengthen Japan’s position in the tech sector globally.
The official announcement from OpenAi can be read here.