OKI Group Establishes AI Principles

OKI (TOKYO:6703) announced today that it has established the OKI Group AI Principles. In line with OKI’s corporate philosophy, and as one of the ways for OKI to contribute to improving the quality of life for people around the world, OKI is providing products and services using artificial intelligence (AI products). At this time, in order that the value and contributions of AI can be more easily understood by a broad range of customers and stakeholders, and to help create a better society where the harmonious co-existence of humans and AI can be achieved, OKI has established these principles.

AI has enormous potential to enrich our lives. In recent years, the development of AI technologies has been remarkable, and these innovations have solved problems that were once thought insoluble. At the same time, the development of AI has just begun, and the technology has its limitations. Inappropriate development and/or utilization of AI technology could lead to legal or ethical problems, or even safety issues. To address these concerns, guidelines and principles for creating a human-centric AI society have been published not only by many countries, including Japan, but also by various companies and organizations.

OKI aims to be a corporate group that supports safer and more convenient social infrastructure. Through the leveraging of OKI’s digital technologies, the company seeks to help solve the problems we face as a society. OKI has already provided a wide array of edge devices (devices connecting local networks to larger networks or the Internet), and infrastructure used in edge regions such as ETC, ATMs, various business applications, short range wireless systems, as well as sensing systems utilizing acoustics, optics, and imaging across a number of core business domains such as transportation, finance, disaster prevention and manufacturing. As OKI builds on its strengths with the goal of generating new value through utilization of the vast quantity of critical data processed by edge devices, OKI is increasingly making use of AI, in such areas as, for instance, error and defect detection in manufacturing facilities and infrastructure construction, and predicting traffic jams on highways. In some cases, AI works together with other AI.

In order to become an “AI-Ready” company capable of making effective and safe use of AI so that we may further accelerate these activities, in May 2019, OKI launched a group-wide project where the company promoted its internal AI-related environment. In this internal promotion of AI, we have studied AI from many perspectives — including, for example, ethics and contracts, product quality, human resource development, and the utilization of data. One of the results of this project was the “OKI Group AI Principles”. These Principles serve as our guidelines when we create AI products, and help us contribute to what the OKI Group is trying to create: a human-centric AI society.

“Based on the Charter of Corporate Conduct and the Code of Conduct, which together serve as the basis of the OKI Group’s approach to fulfilling its corporate responsibility, and in line with the Group’s corporate philosophy, and from the perspectives of helping customers and society understand the value of the company’s AI products, etc., as well as achieving a harmonious co-existence of humans and AI, the “OKI Group AI Principles” provide guidelines for research and development of AI technologies, the sale and provision of AI products, etc., and any other corporate activities related to AI (the “AI business”),” said Shinya Kamagami, OKI’s President. “The OKI Group will, in addition to complying with laws and regulations, continue to develop its AI Business in compliance with these OKI Group AI Principles.”

Summary of OKI Group AI Principles (Click here for the full text)

1. Respect for Human Rights

The OKI Group respects fundamental human rights and strives to prevent discrimination by AI. The Group also respects privacy and complies with laws and regulations concerning the handling of personal information.

2. Explanation and Transparency

The OKI Group will explain to stakeholders the effects and impacts of the utilization of AI, as well as the reasons for using AI, and the limitations of AI, and will endeavor to gain their understanding and approval. Also, we will consider the transparency of conclusions reached by AI and continue to examine ways of providing information.

3. Dialogue and Collaboration

In order that stakeholders will become more comfortable with using the AI products that OKI provides, the OKI Group will maintain a dialogue with stakeholders. We will also continuously consider the challenges concerning collaboration between human beings and AI and AI-to-AI so as to realize a better society in which AI will have a role.

4. Safety and Handling of Data

The OKI Group will strive to ensure the safety of OKI AI products and ensure the proper acquisition, use, management and security of data.

5. Development of Human Resources

The OKI Group will endeavor to develop human resources who have a proper understanding of AI technologies and the nature, issues, and limitations of AI, and who may appropriately provide AI products to society.

The OKI Group, in promoting the AI business, in accordance with these OKI Group AI Principles, will develop the capability to share and resolve issues through collaboration between group companies and departments. In addition to this, we will continue to monitor domestic and international trends, the needs of society in relation to AI, and, if we deem it necessary in light of such trends and needs, we will promptly amend these OKI Group AI Principles and will contribute toward a human-centric society utilizing AI.

About Oki Electric Industry (OKI)

Founded in 1881, Oki Electric Industry (OKI) is Japan’s leading information and telecommunication manufacturer. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, OKI provides top-quality products, technologies, and solutions to customers through its info-telecom systems and printer operations. Its various business divisions function synergistically to bring to market exciting new products and technologies that meet a wide range of customer needs in various sectors. Visit OKI’s global website at https://www.oki.com/.

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