NEC has developed a generative artificial intelligence model with high Japanese-language proficiency amid the global dominance of models trained in English.
This month, NEC will start AI services based on its own large language model (LLM), the key technology for automatically creating sentences and other items, for business use in Japan, according to an announcement Thursday.
Its sales target is ¥50 billion over the next three years.
NEC's generative AI features lower server load and power consumption. It can be tailored according to customers' usage environments.
The company will provide AI services adjusted in line with customers' requests, such as on how strictly confidential information must be protected.
Its services will be combined with those provided by U.S. technology giant Microsoft to enhance convenience.
NEC are working with about 10 companies and universities, including Sumitomo Mitsui Banking and East Japan Railway, to establish usage models that fit respective industries, such as how to use AI to recommend financial products.
The company will also consider applying its AI to the creation of images and videos.
The use of generative AI is rapidly increasing around the world. But most AI products use models based on English, making their use difficult for many Japanese users.
NEC's generative AI is "unique in that it was made domestically for customers in Japan," Corporate Executive Vice President Toshifumi Yoshizaki told a briefing Thursday. "We'll provide safety and utilization methods together."