TOKYO/PARIS: France and Japan’s leaders attempted to avert a diplomatic row over the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance on Friday, meeting for bilateral talks in the wake of the surprise arrest of its Chairman Carlos Ghosn in Japan.
With the carmaking alliance facing its biggest test after the ousting of Ghosn as chairman of Nissan and affiliate Mitsubishi over financial misconduct allegations, French President Emmanuel Macron sat down with Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires.
Ghosn’s arrest to face accusations including the under-reporting of income has triggered new attempts by Nissan to weaken Renault’s control of the Franco-Japanese alliance, adding to challenges facing Macron at home in France.
Macron, whose government has repeatedly pressed Japan to share evidence unearthed by Nissan’s internal investigation into Ghosn, “restated his firm wish that the alliance should be preserved, along with the stability of the group,” an Elysee official said after Friday’s meeting with Abe.
The Japanese leader told Macron that “the legal process must be allowed to take its course,” the French official added.
LEADERLESS
Tokyo authorities on Friday extended Ghosn’s detention for a second time, by the maximum-allowed 10 days, local media reported. Prosecutors must file charges by Dec. 10 or arrest Ghosn for new crimes to hold him beyond that date.
Tokyo prosecutors declined to comment. Nissan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ghosn’s detention has left the global auto alliance without its leader and main interlocutor with the French government, which owns 15 percent of Renault and wants to maintain the ownership structure enshrining its control of the partnership.
But Nissan Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa has made clear that Nissan wants to weaken the control of its smaller parent as it carries out a governance review.
Renault’s 43.4 percent Nissan stake ensures an effective voting majority at shareholder meetings, while Nissan’s reciprocal 15 percent Renault holding carries no voting rights.
The Macron-Abe talks came against the backdrop of a diplomatic spat over comments by French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, who said that his Japanese counterpart Hiroshige Seko had agreed in earlier talks that the cross-shareholdings should be left unchanged.
PROTEST LETTER
Seko angrily denied any such agreement through a rare official letter of protest sent to Le Maire, Japanese daily newspaper Mainichi Shimbun reported.
Officials for both of the ministries involved declined to comment on the letter or the incident.
Le Maire also came in for criticism from Renault staff representatives concerned for the alliance.
“The government should know their place and stay there,” said a union official at the French carmaker. “This kind of overreaching may be counter-productive.”
As economy minister, Macron had masterminded the French government’s surprise increase to its Renault stake in 2015, raising concern within Nissan that the Elysee sought to wield more influence over the Japanese company.
Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi “emphatically reiterated” their commitment to the alliance on Thursday after executives met in Amsterdam for the first time since Ghosn’s arrest.
A review of the capital structure was not discussed at the meeting, Mitsubishi CEO Osamu Masuko said.
Macron and Abe seek to avert Renault-Nissan row
Macron and Abe seek to avert Renault-Nissan row
Artificial intelligence is transitioning into a ‘digital employee’
- AI can be an effective tool, business leaders tell Arab News
- Not about jobs, but ‘convergence of human capital and AI’
RIYADH: Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping the world of work, transitioning from a supporting tool to an active partner that is radically changing the nature of professions and productivity standards.
Amidst the current global transformations, an active regional digital environment is emerging.
This is being led by Saudi Arabia through Vision 2030 and massive investments in smart infrastructure, providing a living model for studying the implications of this partnership between humans and machines on the future of work in the region.
Arab News spoke to various business leaders about the emerging shape of the sector.
Salem Bagami, co-founder of Metatalent, said the ideal relationship between humans and machines at work should be complementary and collaborative.
Humans would bring creativity, emotional intelligence, and complex decision-making, while machines excel at processing big data and performing repetitive, precise tasks.
He believes that this type of balanced partnership would lead to unprecedented productivity and innovation.
Mohammad Al-Jallad, chief technologist and director at HPE, said AI has gone beyond being merely an executive tool to becoming a “digital employee” entrusted with automating routine tasks and providing insights based on data analysis.
He believes that the real opportunity lies not in the debate over job replacement, but in “the convergence of human capital and artificial intelligence.”
AI should augment human teams by taking on menial and routine tasks, enabling employees to focus on critical thinking, creativity, and ethical reasoning, significantly improving operational results.
Bagami also emphasized the complementary nature of this partnership. “The ideal relationship between humans and machines at work is one of collaboration, where each complements the others.”
He explained that humans bring creativity, emotional intelligence, and nuanced decision-making, while machines excel at processing big data and performing repetitive tasks efficiently, leading to increased productivity and innovation.
Opinion
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Salem Alanazi, chairman of Jathwa Technology Co., notes a significant trend among Saudi Arabia companies toward using AI applications to provide faster services to customers at lower costs.
The emergence of the “virtual employee” available around the clock has eliminated the need for some traditional jobs in specific sectors.
Alanazi warns that some companies’ reluctance to adopt AI may expose them to real risks. “All those who hesitated to benefit from AI applications have a lack of understanding of these technologies.”
He said those who adopt these technologies will be able to offer lower-cost, higher-quality services, which will affect the market position of companies that lag behind.
Ali Aljumhour, CEO of VALUE Consultancy, said that the transition of AI into a partner has reshaped the list of most in-demand skills in the job market.
Skills such as “prompt engineering,” “human-machine integration,” and “digital ethics” are becoming increasingly important.
He added that AI has become an instantly available “technical knowledge base,” shifting the criteria for professional distinction toward those capable of smart interaction with these technologies.
In terms of ethics, transparency, and trust, Alanazi points to the complexities of global AI governance, where legislation overlaps and evolves rapidly to keep pace with potential risks, particularly in the areas of cybersecurity and privacy.
Al-Jallad emphasizes this crucial dimension, noting that providing responsible and reliable AI solutions that meet the highest standards of transparency is a key priority, especially in regulated sectors.
Bagami believes there should be basic standards for the ethical use of Al, emphasizing the need for transparency, accountability, and fairness, along with using diverse data sets to prevent bias and protect privacy.
He believes that building trust between humans and machines requires clear explanations of how systems work, giving users the opportunity to provide feedback and conducting periodic performance reviews.
On performance evaluation, Aljumhour said: “I expect radical changes in standards, shifting from measuring individual effort to evaluating the quality of the partnership between humans and machines.”
There should be a focus on the quality of inputs provided to intelligent systems, the accuracy of review and modification, and complex decision-making based on outputs.
He warns, however, of new risks that may arise, such as over-reliance on AI or difficulty in determining responsibility for mistakes.
In the employment sector, Aljumhour expects fundamental changes in standards.
There will be questions and tests focusing on measuring skills in dealing with AI, such as asking candidates about their experiences of collaborating with these systems, or testing their ability to formulate effective requests for complex tasks.
Aljumhour identifies significant human challenges in this transition, with “fear, loss of power, and exclusivity of knowledge” being the biggest concerns for experienced employees.
