Japan tests AI app for officials’ parliamentary responses — The Japan Times

Japan’s Digital Agency has begun testing an application based on generative artificial intelligence that is intended to help civil servants prepare answers to questions from members of parliament. This was reported by The Japan Times.

The application runs on the Gennai generative AI platform, which is available to approximately 180,000 employees of Japanese government institutions. It is also intended to help officials better understand in advance the intent behind legislators’ questions.

Question analysis and response options

After a lawmaker’s question is entered, the system identifies and analyzes its key points, then generates several draft responses within a few minutes. To do this, it uses previous government responses and transcripts of parliamentary discussions.

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The application includes a function for adjusting the text style depending on the purpose. In particular, the policy explanation mode is intended to convey its direction more clearly, while the political judgment mode is intended to take political considerations into account. Officials can directly edit the generated draft responses.

Decisions remain with officials

The system can also predict follow-up questions from lawmakers. At the same time, the Digital Agency stressed that AI will not make decisions: government officials will remain responsible for formulating policy decisions, coordinating the government’s position, and giving final approval to responses.

The effectiveness of the tool is planned to be assessed during the current session of Japan’s parliament, the Diet. The agency intends to launch the application on a full scale from the next regular parliamentary session. Digital Transformation Minister Toshiharu Furukawa said the tool could improve work efficiency and contribute to deeper parliamentary debates.