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Japans Digital Companions – A scary vision for the future?

Japan has a massive problem with loneliness. Almost 70% of unmarried men and 60% of unmarried women aged 18-34 are not in any form of relationship with the opposite sex (Source: National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, Japan). Over the past years this relationship crisis has spurred a new multimillion-dollar virtual romance industry, which primarily aims to fill this emotional void through technology.

At the forefront of this new industry stands a company called Gatebox, a company selling a digital assistant, powered by AI, which aims to be a pseudo-girlfriend. The device can be linked to your smartphone, making it possible to create a sense of relationship. It even sends you messages, when you are at work, like “come back home”. In the western world, many will laugh about this vision, but more and more people actually sign up for this or similar services. It allows them to retreat from human relationships into a fantasy of submission and titillation.

This development comes at a critical point of Japans development. Low marriage and birth rates have led to dangerously rapid ageing of the population. A serious concern in Japan is whether the younger generation can provide for the elders. This really makes this development so scary at the same time. More and more Japanese men and women are thinking: Why should I go out and try to find a partner, if my perfect partner is right here on my smartphone? The impact this has on human interaction and society as a whole will have to be seen in the future.

To me this all shows a disturbing vision for the future. But what are your thoughts?
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