Concept

Conferences, but no real "discussion"

Omuta City’s population has halved since its peak in 1959, when it flourished as a coal-mining town, and currently stands at approximately 103,000 (with an aging rate of 38.4%). The working-age population (ages 15–64) is projected to decline to 60% of its 2015 level by 2045, while the elderly population (ages 65 and over) is expected to drop to 80% of that level. Due to this significant decline in the working-age population, the city is expected to become a region facing "labor supply constraints," and the impact of the labor shortage is already beginning to affect the foundations of daily life. Due to a decline in the number of care managers who coordinate care services for elderly people requiring nursing care, there have been cases where the creation of care plans has been delayed, leading to delays in the start of service utilization. Reports are also emerging that, due to a shortage of care workers, nursing homes are being forced to reduce the frequency of bathing for residents. Furthermore, maintaining public transportation due to a shortage of drivers and maintaining infrastructure due to a shortage of civil engineering and facilities professionals are becoming challenges.

This is precisely why decision-making—such as determining what to prioritize and what to discontinue with limited resources—is, in essence, unavoidable in Omuta City. Furthermore, in meetings such as councils, which are intended to facilitate such decision-making, there is a tendency for the discussions that form the basis of decision-making to falter. For instance, participants may feel that "even though various stakeholders are gathered, the meeting ends with nothing more than reports," or "even if they believe the situation needs to change, they postpone voicing their concerns to avoid offending others."

People read the room, avoid causing friction, and either don’t say what needs to be said or feel unable to say it. For those living in close-knit, face-to-face communities, engaging in discussions for change that go against these dynamics presents a barrier that exceeds individual capabilities. These challenges are likely shared by many regions, not just Omuta.

AIs unravel the dynamics of the local community members

In October 2024, the "Meeting Singularity" event—organized by the Omuta Future Co-creation Center, NTT, the Regional Revitalization Co-design Institute, and the City of Omuta—was an attempt to address this challenge through the unique application of generative AI. In this event, AI systems with distinct areas of expertise discussed Omuta, and based on their insights, business leaders, professionals, and government officials from Omuta engaged in further discussion.

In the "Meeting Singularity," multiple AIs were configured to match the attributes of the people gathered at the meeting. First, the AIs exchanged opinions on Omuta’s challenges from the perspective of their respective areas of expertise. However, AI ideas tend to be abstract and general, which could make them seem unworthy of consideration to Omuta’s professionals and practitioners. In this regard, the AI agents in the "Meeting Singularity" speak after being fed basic information about Omuta, creating the impression that "the AI agents are earnestly thinking about Omuta and speaking from that perspective." Interestingly, witnessing this prompts the participants to speak up, saying things like, "In reality, it’s more like this," or "If it were me, I would say this."

Furthermore, the AIs freely critique each other’s opinions. For example, an AI playing the role of a public health nurse might offer a persuasive critique of an AI playing the role of a doctor. This AI’s "lack of tact" breaks through the existing atmosphere, creating a sense of informality. As a result, it becomes easier for those gathered in the room to voice opinions that would otherwise be difficult to express due to their positions. This also lowers the barrier to speaking for those in positions of authority within the community who are expected to be infallible.

Through dialogue with these AIs, a space is created where it is easier to express one’s own thoughts, but this "ease of speaking" goes beyond what is achieved simply by creating a safe environment. The key point here is that the differences between humans and AIs, and the sense of dissonance regarding the AI’s statements, serve in a subtle way to free people from the shackles of the community and awaken their sense of agency—prompting them to think, "This is how I would see it." The meetings convened by these "I’s" will gain concreteness and direction as candid discussions that genuinely engage with the realities of the community. In this way, "Meeting Singularity" is an attempt to overcome barriers to decision-making by drawing out the agency of the people living in the community.