Europe-Japan cooperation in AI-based manufacturing technologies

The EU-Japan.AI project was launched in 2021 to advance long-term cooperation and knowledge sharing between the EU and Japan for artificial intelligence (AI)-driven innovation in manufacturing. To this end, the project consortium created an open web platform that would connect all stakeholders and facilitate the exchange of information between them. These initiatives will continue well into 2025.

During the project, EU-Japan.AI researchers collected a significant amount of data from an international survey of employees in the manufacturing sector. The survey was conducted to find out what benefits workers expect to gain from AI in the workplace, as well as their concerns about it. Since the completion of the project in October 2022, the continued collaboration between the project partners, Japan’s Meiji University and the Spanish research and innovation company Tecnalia, has resulted in the publication of a joint paper that was presented at the 21st International Conference on Ethical and Social Impacts of Information and Communication Technologies, held in Spain in March 2024. “The wealth of survey data collected offers valuable insights into the economic and social impact of digitisation on manufacturing industry. It will help to outline directions for future joint research and serve as a basis for further research projects,” says Damir Haskovic, project manager of MINDS & SPARKS GmbH, the Austrian research and innovation organisation that coordinated EU-Japan.AI. The successful engagement between the EU-Japan.AI consortium partners and the expert and advisory board members, which generated several subsequent international collaboration opportunities, was made possible by European funding. Based on mutually recognised research excellence, EU and Japanese researchers joined forces to address ethical and societal challenges related to AI in the field of responsible research and innovation, building on the research results of the EU-Japan.AI project (Advancing Collaboration and Exchange of Knowledge Between the EU and Japan for AI-Driven Innovation in Manufacturing). “Such shared values and vision reaffirm the importance of a long-term strategic partnership between the EU and Japan,” concludes Haskovic.

More information: European Commission