While the world wonders whether artificial intelligence will be a threat to human existence, Japan sees it as a possible solution to many of its problems. Are we at a point of no return with the onset of AI?
In Japan, the government, scientists and most of the population see AI and robots as a solution to many of their problems. The Japanese perception of robots and AI is very different from the Western one, for reasons as diverse as the particular demographic needs of an increasingly aging society, the influence of manga and anime, or spiritual beliefs. But does everyone in Japan really believe that the future could be a utopia where we will work less, live longer, merge with AI, and where it might even help us conquer space?
“Point of no return” travels to Japan and interviews a world-renowned android expert and pioneer in this field, Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, who shares his vision of a near future where AI and androids will help overcome limitations of the human body. It also shows the experimental version with ChatGPT technology of Hikari, a virtual couple from the Japanese company Gatebox; introduces Rootpor, the first author to create a manga using only creative AI tools, and the first Buddhist android monk, and talks to Professor Takagi, a neuroscientist who with the help of AI, has managed to read the people’s mind