David Ha, the CEO of Sakana AI K.K., a leading Japanese artificial intelligence startup backed by investors like Nvidia Corp., has urged the Japanese government to prioritize developing its own AI technology for defense applications. Speaking at a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, Ha emphasized that Japan’s increasingly severe security environment, with ‘many adversaries around its neighbors,’ presents both challenges and opportunities for AI development in the defense sector.
Ha noted that few Japanese startups are willing to work with the government on defense projects, creating an opportunity for Sakana AI to engage in developing defense-related AI solutions. As a former Google researcher, Ha highlighted that technology, particularly AI, plays a crucial role in enhancing IT infrastructure, information systems, and cybersecurity. In a deglobalizing world where the United States is becoming more U.S.-centric, Ha warned that powerful AI services and models could become ‘a bargaining chip for other countries.’
The Japanese Defense Ministry has been exploring greater AI adoption in the defense sector, outlining its basic policy last year in areas such as military target detection, command and control, and logistic support. However, the policy also acknowledged AI’s limitations, particularly in unprecedented situations, as well as concerns about credibility and potential misuse.
Sakana AI, founded by Ha and two co-founders in 2023, has already shown promise in defense innovation. In March, the company won an award at a competition co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit and Japan’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency for its systems to predict pandemics and detect AI-generated images. The company’s name, ‘Sakana,’ meaning ‘fish’ in Japanese, reflects its approach to AI development, drawing inspiration from nature’s collective intelligence, such as schools of small fish forming large groups.
