(April 1): OpenAI plans to open an office in Tokyo in April, according to a person familiar with the matter, as the artificial intelligence (AI) pioneer begins to build out its international operations.

The Japan office will be its first in Asia, the person said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential information. It will be the third international location after opening offices in London and Dublin last year.

OpenAI set off a frenzy of interest in artificial intelligence after unveiling ChatGPT in November 2022. The San Francisco startup has been in talks to raise funding at a valuation of at least US$100 billion (RM472.5 billion), Bloomberg reported in December.

AI adoption is spreading among Japanese companies, with corporations including SoftBank Corp and Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp racing to roll out services for Japanese speakers.

After meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last April, Sam Altman, co-founder and chief executive officer of OpenAI, said the organisation is looking at opening a Japan office. It plans to expand its own Japanese language services and work with the government on mitigating risks and implementing regulations.