Japan Fair Trade Commission Launches AI Search Investigation
The Japan Fair Trade Commission said it would look into search engines that use generative artificial intelligence. The investigation is looking into whether AI services use news content without permission from media companies.
Officials think that some practices may break Japan’s Antimonopoly Law by taking advantage of strong market positions. The investigation shows that more and more people are worried about how AI systems deal with copyrighted news articles.
Source: The Japan News
Worries About Unapproved Use of News Articles
Regulators are looking into whether AI-generated summaries use news articles without paying them enough. These kinds of things could hurt media companies that rely on website traffic and ad revenue.
Authorities said that fewer visits to news websites could make journalism less financially stable. This worry has grown as AI-generated answers take the place of regular search results more and more.
Review of Major Global Tech Companies
The investigation will focus on AI search companies like Google, Microsoft, and the new company Perplexity AI. The investigation also includes LY Corp, a Japanese tech company.
Officials said that the scope may grow to include other businesses that offer generative AI services. OpenAI, the company behind the ChatGPT chatbot platform, is one of these.
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How AI Search Engines Come Up with Answers
AI-powered search engines can understand questions that people ask in everyday language. They make short answers by gathering and combining information from many different online sources.
Supporters say these tools make it easier and faster to find information. Critics say that making things easier for people comes at the cost of original content creators and publishers.
Financial Dangers for News Companies
The main way that media companies make money is by showing ads on their websites. AI-generated summaries could lower direct traffic, which could hurt this traditional business model.
Regulators are worried that a long-term drop in revenue could hurt independent journalism. In the end, this outcome may make publicly available information less diverse and less reliable.
Previous Results Support Antitrust Worries
The commission put out a report in 2023 that looked at how tech companies and news organizations work together. It said that using content without paying for it or paying too little for it could be against antitrust laws.
The report talked about the risks that come with big companies putting unfair rules on content providers. These results are now the basis for the current investigation into AI.
Growing International Scrutiny of AI Search Services
The European Commission is also looking into search tools that use AI in Europe. European regulators are looking into whether Google’s AI search features break any competition laws.
Japanese officials are keeping a close eye on these international cases to make sure they follow the rules. The result could have an effect on future global rules for AI and digital competition.
