Japan is one of the world's most advanced countries in the field of artificial intelligence and robot industries. At the Group of Seven summit Japan hosted in May, world leaders looked amused and fascinated as they watched a robot performing at the International Media Center. At the same time, because of the technological advances and advent of robots, the leaders are concerned that many people in their countries will lose their jobs and cry out for assistance from governments.
This kind of downside to innovation has always been a part of modernization. Innovation brings fundamental change, but the impact of AI will be on a far larger scale than ever before.
The most visible sector in which robots are bringing considerable change in Japan is the carmaker industry. GPS, inter-vehicle gap keeping, obstacle avoidance and pedestrian protection systems will all be loaded in new cars. Nissan Motor Co. has developed an AI system to memorize people's driving habits. By adjusting to them, the system can drive the car in a relaxed but brisk cruising mode. Major Japanese automakers are aiming at introducing fully autonomous cars by 2020.