Speed and efficiency. Sometimes, humans lack these two.
Especially when compared to computers, humans do lack in certain aspects. This is the reason why people have started relying on automation to help them with redundant tasks.
And since OpenAI introduced ChatGPT, it didn't take long until the world got wowed by it. And following that, people are experimenting with this particular AI, hoping that its prowess can help.
And in Japan, it does.
The city of Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture began a one-month trial allowing each of its 4,000 municipal employees to use ChatGPT for administrative tasks, as a way to boost operations.
This makes it the first city in the nation to embrace the technology, The Japan Times reported.
According to Takayuki Samukawa, a public relations representative for Yokosuka’s digital management department:
"So we aim to use useful ICT [Information Communication Technology] tools, like ChatGPT, to free up human resources for things that can only be done in a person-to-person format."
Initially, Samukawa said the city plans to use ChatGPT during its trial for tasks like summarizing and drafting documents and developing copy for marketing and communications, and nothing more.
However, after the trial end, and depending on the outcome, things can change.
This has been made clear, because while Yokosuka is the first city in Japan to use ChatGPT, the federal government of Japan has signaled that it is open to adopt the tool across the nation following a visit from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in April.
At that time, Altman met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other officials at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo to discuss the benefits and the risks of using the company's chatbot.
During his visit, Altman also said that he's considering a plan to open an OpenAI office in the country.
"We hope to spend much more time (in Japan) and hope to engage with the wonderful talent and build something great for Japanese people and make the models better," Altman said after the short meeting.
Japan, the island country in East Asia.
With a civilization that can be traced back to 30,000 BC, Japan is populous, and also densely populated. About three-fourths of the country's terrain is mountainous, concentrating its highly urbanized population on narrow coastal plains.
Japan is known for many things
This is because Japan is considered a cultural superpower that its art, cuisine, film, music, and popular culture, being known all around the world. It also encompasses prominent manga, anime and video game industries.
But this time in 2023, it's also known for having a decline in population for the 12th consecutive year, as deaths rise and the birth rate continues to sink. The population was at 124.49 million in 2022, which is a decline of 556,000 from the previous year.
This happened because Japan is considered to have one of the of the lowest birth rates in the world, but also one of the highest life expectancies in the world.
Japan's initiative to start using ChatGPT happened when the city experienced worker shortage, and that it's intrigued by the potential of ChatGPT for improving efficiency.
It's worth noting that during the trial, ChatGPT is being tested among Yokosuka employees in conjunction with 'LoGo Chat,' which is a local government-focused chat service already in use by Yokosuka employees.
Samukawa is aware of the risks of ChatGPT, especially when it comes to privacy. Yokosuka had also heard concerns from the general public about potential leaks of personal information by its human staff members.
Because of this reason, Samukawa assuranced that Yokosuka trial the tool in line with OpenAI’s typical security policy.
According to Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, once security concerns about the technology were addressed, the government would work to "use AI to reduce the workloads of national public servants."