International Day for Universal Access to Information and AI

Today, and September 28th annually, is International Day for Universal Access to Information, a UNESCO observance that promotes equal access to information for everyone. In today's world, that mission feels more relevant than ever as artificial intelligence becomes part of everyday life.

Not long ago, gaining access to information largely meant having an internet connection, a library card, or access to reliable news sources. Today, many people turn to AI tools to search for answers, translate languages, summarize complex documents, and learn new skills. For foreign residents in Japan, AI can make local information easier to understand, from municipal notices and disaster updates to school communications and administrative procedures.

However, the growth of AI also highlights a potential information gap. Much of the internet's content is published in English, and many AI models are developed first with English-language data and users in mind. Anyone fluent in both Japanese and English has likely encountered the limitations of online translation tools, particularly when dealing with nuance, context, or culturally specific expressions. While these tools continue to improve, they are far from perfect.

As a result, people who rely solely on Japanese-language resources, or who depend heavily on machine translation, may not always have access to the same breadth of information or level of understanding as those who can work directly with English-language sources. It is food for thought, as we enter the AI era.