A fledgling Japanese political party announced Tuesday that it will appoint an artificial intelligence as its leader after its unconventional founder stepped down following poor results in recent elections.
The Path to Rebirth party, founded in January by Shinji Ishimaru, a former mayor of a small western Japanese city, operates without a formal policy platform, allowing members to set their own agendas.
Ishimaru gained unexpected attention after finishing second in the 2024 Tokyo gubernatorial election with the help of a successful online campaign but resigned from the party after it failed to secure any seats in this year’s upper house elections.
“The new leader will be AI,” said Koki Okumura, a Kyoto University doctoral student in AI research who described himself as an assistant to the new leader, at a news conference.
Okumura, 25, added that details about the AI’s role, including its launch and implementation, are still being decided. He will serve as the party’s nominal leader.
The AI is expected to handle internal decisions such as allocating resources among members rather than dictating political activities, Okumura explained.
Despite its media attention, the Path to Rebirth has struggled electorally, with all 42 of its candidates losing in the June Tokyo assembly election and all 10 candidates in the July upper house elections also defeated.
