A Japanese life insurance company Fukoku Mutual Life has slashed the jobs of more than thirty employees, replacing them with robots armed with Artificial Intelligence (AI). This business innovation will apparently save Fukoku hundreds of millions of yen annually. The AI system is based around IBM’s Watson Explorer system. Another firm Dai-Ichi Life had earlier introduced a similar move. Due to Japan’s ageing population and high prowess in robotics, the country is primed for growth in this field. Soon robots using AI may be a factor in politics as well, helping bureaucrats cut through routine work procedures. Their introduction hasn’t been all smooth as an earlier experiment at a university’s testing system using them backfired.

Source:https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jan/05/japanese-company-replaces-office-workers-artificial-intelligence-ai-fukoku-mutual-life-insurance