What happened
A Jiji survey of 2,000 people across Japan found that 24.9% believe advanced AI will eventually replace their friends and families, while 65.1% disagreed. The belief was strongest among younger respondents: 32.5% of those aged 18–29, 30.1% in their 30s, 29.2% in their 40s, and 31.4% in their 50s.
Why it matters
The results reflect growing exposure to generative AI tools like ChatGPT in Japan—30.8% of all respondents use them, rising to 53.3% among those 18–29. Yet the survey shows concerns about AI's role in human connection, even as people adopt it for practical tasks like work (64.7% of users) and household chores (35.3%).
What to watch
Generative AI use varies sharply by age. Adoption drops from 56.2% among those in their 30s to just 21.9% among those in their 60s. A notable 12.8% of users reported relying on AI to express worries and complaints about love and work—suggesting emotional attachment is already emerging among some users.
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The Jiji survey captures a moment of tension in Japan's adoption of generative AI. While roughly one-third of the population remains skeptical that AI could replace human relationships—65.1% explicitly rejected this possibility—the quarter who do believe it signals underlying anxieties about the technology's growing presence in daily life. Notably, these concerns are not concentrated among older, less-experienced users; respondents in their 40s and 50s express roughly the same skepticism as those in their 20s and 30s, suggesting the worry cuts across generational lines even as younger cohorts use the tools far more.
The usage data adds nuance to these beliefs. Generative AI adoption in Japan follows a clear age gradient: majority use among under-40s, minority use among those 50 and older. Yet the practical applications remain mostly instrumental—work and household efficiency—while emotional uses remain small but notable. The 12.8% who report using AI to process personal worries suggests that for some segment of users, the technology is already filling an emotional role, even if the broader population has not yet internalized that shift as the norm.
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