NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS and IBM Japan have signed a basic agreement in the field of AI governance, aimed at ensuring compliance with laws, ethics and internal regulations in the development, deployment and use of AI. The companies will explore frameworks that enable businesses to continuously control and audit AI agents.
NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, INC. and IBM Japan, Ltd. announced that they have signed a basic agreement in the field of AI governance, which is intended to ensure that the development, deployment and use of AI are appropriately managed and operated in accordance with laws, ethics and internal regulations. The two companies said they will continue exploring the establishment of frameworks that enable businesses to understand when and how AI agents are being used and to manage and audit them on an ongoing basis, with the aim of creating an environment in which AI agents can be used with confidence.
One factor behind the initiative is that generative AI is evolving beyond providing responses to instructions toward a stage in which it can make decisions and take action autonomously, while more companies are incorporating AI agents into their operations. Demand is also growing for environments in which AI agents can work together across organisational and corporate boundaries.
At the same time, as the use of AI expands, companies must address the difficulty of maintaining control, regulatory requirements in different countries and regions, and risks such as erroneous decisions and information leakage. The importance of AI governance is increasing, creating demand for frameworks that enable the rationale behind AI decisions to be explained and usage to be controlled and audited continuously.
NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS has a track record of developing and providing technologies in data security and digital identity. It has supported secure environments through services that enable data to be used while remaining confidential and through identity management platforms. IBM Japan has global expertise in AI governance, security and risk management, and has supported companies’ use of AI through a range of products and consulting services.
The collaboration is intended to enable the two companies to jointly develop organisational structures that ensure appropriate control and transparency, based on the assumption that companies will use AI agents.