The head of Microsoft in Japan said that this aging country needs AI
Japan is one of the countries that is quick to adopt new artificial intelligence tools and has development potential accelerate its economy and the technology sector by going further, according to Microsoft Japan President Miki Tsusaka.
The country’s digitalization drive got a boost during the pandemic as businesses adapted to new forms of working from home, and Tsusaka believes Japan has made up ground after previously falling behind.
“The Japanese have caught up. And I think it will continue to accelerate at this point because this technology can do things that we can’t do yet,” Tsusaka said in an interview. “We don’t have enough peopleOur population is aging but AI has the potential to power growth.”
The Microsoft Corporation CEO said she is particularly interested in helping upskill more women in the local workforce. This is one of four focus areas for the US company in Japan, led by investment of 2.9 billion USD over the next two years to scale up AI data centers in the country.
Announcement of new funding in April lift up The country’s utility and industrial market shares are based on expectations of growing electricity demand. country energy demand increases prompted Tokyo’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry to lobby local officials about restarting the country’s and the world’s largest nuclear power plant.
Tsusaka identifies cybersecurity as another important priority, because “you can’t use AI without security. It’s security, security, security. And then you can use AI.” She said Microsoft works closely with the Japanese government – at both the national and local levels – as well as businesses to ensure technology is deployed responsibly and safely. However, she still sees AI as an inevitable and revolutionary new piece of technology.
“We were all surprised when the Internet came along,” she said. “Mobile phones are now part of our bodies. But I think creative AI is a technological revolution that surpasses all of that.”
