Advances in artificial intelligence (AI), 5G wireless networks and other technologies are making our lives more exciting and convenient, but a young entrepreneur, professor and media artist is also keen to harness them for other ambitions: addressing social challenges unique to Japanese society.

The fifth-generation, or 5G, high-speed mobile network set to enter commercial service in the country next spring will "have an enormous impact on our communication media," Yoichi Ochiai said in a mid-September interview with The Japan Times.

"But it won't end there. It will become a means for us to resolve challenges."