In Tokyo, the viewing was organized in partnership with the Matsuo-Iwasawa Lab UTokyo at the University of Tokyo. The thought-provoking documentary titled “AI as a friend? Does a chatbot relationship really work?” sparked questions and lively discussions which were joined from eight locations in five countries, namely China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Switzerland.

The discussion was moderated by Dr. Sahar El Khoury, a public speaking coach and expert in robotics and intelligent systems. It featured a diverse panel of participants, including a filmmaker, AI experts from both academia and industry, researchers, and the creator of an AI dating app. This variety allowed the audience to explore the topic from multiple perspectives. The conversation covered the motivations behind conducting such an experiment, the technical aspects of developing technology replicating human traits, and the ethical, societal, and emotional implications involved.

The panel included Ms. Kathrin Hönegger, co-host of the Einstein program, Ms. Andrea Fischli, science editor, and Mr. Christian Bachmann, producer of the Einstein series, all participating from Zurich, Switzerland.

Joining from Swissnex in China, Ms. Linda Sheng, Head of International Business at MiniMax, a leading global AI multimodal large model company, brought her views from an industry angle.

In India, joining from the Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi, Dr. Iram Ghufran, an independent filmmaker and artist whose recent work “A Terrible Beauty” explores AI’s impact on human identity, contributed her perspective. Mr. Ranjith Jaganathan, an interdisciplinary cognitive scientist and adjunct faculty at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), took part from Swissnex in India in Bangalore.

Further contributing to the global discussion from South Korea, Dr. Dasom Lee, Assistant Professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), provided valuable insights on AI regulation and responsible innovation.

Researchers in robotics and human-robot interaction from the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR), Dr. Hidenobu Sumioka and Dr. Masahiro Shiomi brought their technical expertise from Swissnex in Japan, based in Osaka.

Mr. Goki Kusunoki joined the panel from Tokyo and shared his unique perspective as the creator of the dating app LOVERSE, which is getting a lot of attention in Japan.

The discussions continued locally in Tokyo, where Ms. Kyoko Marumo Suzuki, Head of the Science & Technology Office Tokyo, led the exchange with Mr. Goki Kusunoki, CEO and co-founder of Samansa Inc., who was present on-site. Mr. Kusunoki shared his insights on the future of AI companions and their evolving role in human interaction. He presented the concept behind LOVERSE, his dating app that enables users to engage in romantic relationships with AI bots, and provided some key statistics about its user base.

The audience’s active participation, with more questions than time for responses, highlighted the event’s success in fostering meaningful dialogue on these important topics.
The evening concluded with a Swiss apero and some time for open discussion, allowing the audience to exchange thoughts and ask the expert their questions.

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