Big Tech Unites Against Premature AI Regulation at Japan’s Digital Competition Forum

On January 30, representatives from Apple, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI convened at Japan’s Second Digital Competition Global Forum, hosted by the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC), to articulate their collective stance on the future of digital competition and artificial intelligence regulation. In a rare display of alignment among industry giants, the companies unanimously cautioned against the premature imposition of rigid regulatory frameworks on AI markets, arguing that such measures could stifle innovation at a critical juncture in technological evolution.

Apple took a particularly pointed stance, openly criticizing the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) as a flawed policy that has failed to deliver on its promise of fair competition. According to the company’s representatives, the DMA’s prescriptive approach has created compliance burdens without fostering meaningful market openness. In contrast, Apple commended Japan’s newly enacted smartphone market regulations, which aim to promote interoperability and consumer choice without imposing sweeping structural mandates. The Japanese model, Apple argued, offers a more balanced and adaptive framework that respects both competition and innovation.

Google echoed these sentiments, emphasizing that AI technologies are still in a dynamic phase of development, with use cases evolving rapidly across healthcare, education, and industrial automation. "We are not opposing regulation outright," a Google representative stated, "but we urge regulators to adopt a principles-based, outcome-oriented approach rather than prescribing specific technical architectures that may become obsolete within months." Microsoft added that the pace of AI advancement outstrips the legislative process, making it imprudent to codify rules that could lock in outdated paradigms. "Regulation must be agile," said a Microsoft policy executive, "not a set of steel rails that constrain the train before it’s even left the station."

OpenAI, despite its position as a relative newcomer to the tech landscape, aligned closely with the established players. The company’s policy lead highlighted the risk of regulatory capture, where large incumbents could use complex compliance requirements to erect barriers against smaller competitors. "Rules designed with the largest firms in mind often become weapons against disruption," the representative noted. "The goal should be to level the playing field, not to freeze it."

The forum also revealed a shared concern among the tech giants about the potential for fragmented global regulations. With the EU, U.S., and Asia each pursuing divergent regulatory paths, companies warned of increased compliance costs and innovation delays. Japan’s role as a neutral, technologically advanced jurisdiction was implicitly praised for its measured approach, which avoids the extremes of either laissez-faire or overregulation.

Industry analysts suggest that this rare consensus among Big Tech reflects a strategic effort to shape the global narrative around AI governance. By aligning with Japan’s emerging regulatory philosophy, the companies may be positioning themselves as partners in innovation rather than adversaries of competition policy. The JFTC, for its part, signaled openness to this collaborative model, stating that future policy drafts will incorporate stakeholder feedback from this forum.

While the companies acknowledged the need for oversight—particularly in areas like algorithmic bias, data privacy, and market dominance—they insisted that such oversight must be flexible, evidence-based, and globally coordinated. As AI continues to reshape economies worldwide, the message from Silicon Valley and beyond is clear: regulation must evolve with the technology, not lag behind it.