The claims originated from a now-deleted post by a Japanese lawmaker that briefly drew attention online.
Nintendo has denied reports suggesting it had been lobbying the Japanese government against the use of generative artificial intelligence. The company issued an official statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday (5 October),to clarify its position after speculation began circulating online last week.
“Contrary to recent discussions on the internet, Nintendo has not had any contact with the Japanese government about generative AI,” the post read. “Whether generative AI is involved or not, we will continue to take necessary actions against infringement of our intellectual property rights.”
The statement followed claims from Japanese House of Representatives member Satoshi Asano, who posted that Nintendo had been involved in government lobbying activities aimed at restricting generative AI technologies. The post, which has since been deleted, quickly gained traction across social media and Japanese news outlets before Nintendo’s official denial.
False claims against Nintendo prompt apology from Japanese lawmaker
Asano later released a formal apology on Sunday, admitting he had failed to verify the claims before making them public.
“I deeply regret my own failure to verify the facts adequately. I would like to apologize once again to all related parties and will strive to prevent any recurrence,” he said (via X machine-translation), expressing remorse for contributing to the spread of misinformation.
He explained that the original post, which contained the false claim, had started circulating again after appearing in X’s trending section. To prevent further spread of misinformation and avoid causing additional confusion, he confirmed that the post had been deleted permanently. Asano said he would treat the incident as a lesson and exercise more caution in the future.
The situation unfolded amid heightened debate over the use of AI-generated content and intellectual property rights. OpenAI’s Sora 2 video generation model recently faced criticism after producing clips that appeared to include copyrighted elements from several Japanese franchises such as Pokémon, Studio Ghibli, and Nintendo.
Nintendo’s position on the matter remains consistent with its long-established approach to safeguarding its creations. The company has often taken firm action against unauthorised use of its intellectual property and continues to act cautiously when it comes to adopting generative AI in its own projects. Even so, president Shuntaro Furukawa has noted that Nintendo is not closed off to future technological advances, suggesting that any adoption would come with careful consideration of the company’s creative values and IP standards. Although the company has made no indication of adopting AI tools in the near future, its stance remains focused on safeguarding its creations while monitoring ongoing technological advancements within Japan’s gaming industry.
AloJapan.com