Artificial intelligence startup OpenAI unveiled its offering for businesses in Japan on Monday when it opened its first Asia office in Tokyo.
“This is just the first step in what I hope will be a long-term partnership with the Japanese people, government leaders, businesses and research institutions,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a video message.
The startup, which has generated excitement among consumers since launching its generative AI chatbot ChatGPT in 2022, is looking to raise new revenue streams globally.
Altman and Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap hosted hundreds of executives from Fortune 500 companies in the United States and United Kingdom this month to present business pitches, Reuters reported.
Last year, Altman said he was considering opening a branch in Japan after meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The startup has also opened offices in London and Dublin.
Japan hopes to take advantage of artificial intelligence as it seeks to compete with an increasingly assertive China, accelerate the shift to digital services and ease growing labor shortages.
“We have a backlog of demand,” Lightcap told reporters in Tokyo, adding that “we expect a significant contribution from Japan over time,” without providing details.
OpenAI said it has a custom model for the Japanese language and that Tadao Nagasaki, who was president of Amazon Web Services in Japan, is leading the business in the country.
OpenAI’s customers in Japan include automaker Toyota, manufacturer Daikin Industries and the local government.
Microsoft said last week it would invest $2.9 billion over two years in cloud and AI infrastructure in Japan, part of a wave of global investment by U.S. tech giants.
Source: Terra
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