Lawmaker Walks Back Claim Nintendo Lobbied on Generative AI

Japanese politician and House of Representatives member Satoshi Asano has retracted a statement he made about Nintendo lobbying the government over generative AI. He posted the correction on X over the weekend.

In his retraction, Asano acknowledged that his earlier post contained incorrect information and that no such lobbying had taken place, offering an apology to everyone involved and updating the original post to reflect the facts.

His now deleted post had claimed that Nintendo, in protecting its intellectual property, avoids using generative AI and was also lobbying the government. The wider message had been about safeguarding creators’ rights from generative AI, citing real lawsuits such as those involving major news outlets and AI companies.

Nintendo had responded quickly through its own X account, stating plainly that it had not been in contact with the Japanese government about generative AI.

The company added that, whether or not AI is involved, it will take appropriate action against any infringement of its intellectual property.

My take: It is good that the record was corrected so promptly, since misinformation about a company this prominent spreads fast. The underlying conversation about protecting creators from misuse of AI is an important one in its own right.