Nintendo says it hasn’t lobbied Japanese government over generative AI

Nintendo has issued a statement — on a Sunday, no less — in response to a recent post from a Japanese politician claiming that the company was working with the Japanese government to lobby against the use of generative AI.

The original post came from Japanese politician Satoshi Asano, who, in a longer post about generative AI and related topics, stated that “Nintendo avoids using generative AI to protect its IP and is also engaging in lobbying activities with the government.” This sparked a wave of reports over the weekend suggesting that Nintendo was fighting against AI.

However, Nintendo has since refuted the claim, releasing a statement on social media saying, “Contrary to recent discussions on the internet, Nintendo has not had any contact with the Japanese government about generative AI.” The company added, “Whether generative AI is involved or not, we will continue to take necessary actions against infringement of our intellectual property rights.”

Nintendo doesn’t usually issue statements like this, especially on a weekend, but they must have considered it serious enough to respond.