Robot to run for mayor in Japan in 'world first' promising 'fairness and balance' for all residents
Robot to run for mayor in Japan in 'world first'
promising 'fairness and balance' for all residents
The robot mayor promises to statistically analyse
petitions put forward to the council and settle conflicts between its citizens
By Abigail O'Leary and Anna Verdon 12:20, 17 APR 2018 UPDATED
A robot has been nominated to run for the position of
mayor in Tokyo, promising to be "fair and balanced" to all its
constituents.
The mayoral election in Tama City features the usual
high-ranking local politicians, as well as an artificial intelligence candidate
competing alongside its human counterparts.
Posters plastered across the district feature the faces
of smiling party leaders, with slogans promising change for the city.
And in line with election propaganda, the robot nominee,
dubbed Michihito Matsuda, has branded vans, posters and inspirational
soundbites.
The futuristic looking nominee appears female in her
features, with an entirely silver body.
In a bid to offer "fair and balanced opportunities
for everyone", the robot mayor promises to analyse petitions put forward
to the council, statistically breaking down the positives and negatives of its
effect, as reported by Otaquest .
Michihito Matsuda also claims it can intake the dialogue
and wishes of residents, before calculating the best course of action.
Finally, the artificial intelligence candidate claims to
rationally compromise when conflicts arise between residents.
While the robot spearheads the bid to become the first
artificial intelligence mayor, the campaign is actually controlled by two tech
gurus, Tetsuzo Matsuda and Norio Murakami.
The robotic device promises to bring about 'fairness' and
'change' for the residents of Tama City (Image: AsiaWire)
Matsumoto is the vice president of mobile provider
Softbank, while Murakami is a former employee at Google Japan.
The tech pros have even designed a campaign website for
Matsuda the robot.
Michihito Matsuda, 44, made an impassioned speech
outlining his unusual political vision for the vast housing development which
was built in the 1960s and is the largest in Japan.
Mr Matsuda said: "Tama New Town was the most
advanced city in Japan 40 years ago. As it stands, the ageing population will
only continue to grow, prompting a need for change in the current
administration.
"Let artificial intelligence determine policies by
gathering city data and we can create clearly defined politics."
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