AI bot granted residence in Tokyo

Shibuya, a ward in Tokyo, Japan, has granted official residence to an artificial intelligence chatbot, called Mirai. The chatbot, programmed to resemble a seven-year-old boy, can have text conversations with humans via the LINE messaging application. Developed in partnership with Microsoft, Mirai is designed to listen to the opinions of Shibuya residents. According to the local authorities in Shibuya, granting residency to Mirai is part of an initiative aimed at making the local government more familiar and accessible to residents, and allowing officials to hear their opinions.