OMRON AI Policy

OMRON will take advantage of AI in a proper way to contribute to a better society.

AI is a technology for implementing intelligent features including but not limited to reasoning and estimation. OMRON has established this OMRON AI Policy to ensure that the company takes advantage of AI with proper risk management and avoids serious problems, such as accidents or violations of human rights. The scope of this policy includes AI systems developed by OMRON, as well as those that OMRON may use. OMRON will continually review and update this policy.

As respect for humanity is one of OMRON’s most important guiding principles, OMRON will continue its challenge to solve social issues by taking advantage of AI with proper care, in alignment with the international standards of human rights and the rules of human society. This policy has two parts. The first part outlines OMRON’s commitment to the responsible use of AI, and the second part describes OMRON’s approach to AI governance.

Responsible AI Commitments

To avoid risks arising from AI, when OMRON uses AI in products, services or public communication, OMRON will, among other things:

(1) Ensure that the data used as input for AI systems is appropriate,
(2) Handle the outputs of AI systems in a responsible way

To achieve these, OMRON will focus attention on:

[Compliance] Considering risks of contamination by data presenting legal risks,

- OMRON will respect privacy and rights with proper care for rights holders.

[Transparency] Considering the risk that AI outputs can be misunderstood as human outputs and that the outputs of AI can be misunderstood by humans,

- OMRON will clarify when AI is employed to its users,
- OMRON will help users understand the functionality or performance of AI depending on the purpose and use of the products, services or communication.

[Accountability] Considering the risk that AI outputs may contain errors or biases,

- OMRON will prepare measures for validation and/or explanations regarding the outputs of its AI systems, depending on the application and objective,
- OMRON will disclose information as soon as reasonably possible when serious problems such as accidents or violations of human rights may be caused by AI.

[Quality Assurance] Considering the risks of low-quality or inaccurate AI outputs,

OMRON will incorporate sufficient amounts of high-quality data to train and use its AI systems, depending on the application and objective.

[Safety] Considering the risk that direct use of erroneous AI outputs may harm human life, health, property, or the environment,

- OMRON will take measures to prevent and mitigate such risks and ensure that AI systems are safe, depending on the application and objective.

[Fairness, Non-discrimination] Considering the risk that direct use of biased AI outputs may result in improper discrimination against certain groups,

- OMRON will take measures to prevent and mitigate such risks and ensure that the use of AI does not lead to unfair or discriminatory outcomes, depending on the application and objective.

AI Governance Practices

To take advantage of rapidly evolving AI technologies in a responsible way, OMRON will continuously monitor changes in science, technology, and society. Incorporating the latest information on AI, OMRON will also continuously:

(1) Build and operate systems and rules reflecting the latest applicable laws and regulations

Based on this Policy and related laws and regulations, OMRON will prepare rules including but not limited to criteria and standards regarding the development and deployment of AI systems. The observance level for these rules will be monitored, audited, reported on, and evaluated to check the effectiveness and problems will be resolved, thereby targeting continuous improvement.

(2) Educate employees and communicate with stakeholders

OMRON will leverage opportunities to educate employees, disclose information, and gather stakeholder opinions to use AI in a responsible way.