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To me, Japan is the country with the most creative use of "AI". Maybe there is something to do with their perfectionism. Rather than focusing on only software,

To me, Japan is the country with the most creative use of "AI". Maybe there is something to do with their perfectionism. Rather than focusing on only software, they worked on transferring precise designs to hardware. A while ago there was an article on HN on how Sony automated most of PS4's manufacturing and made the production extremely efficient. It's almost like the continuation of Japanese craftsmanship in robot form. It's beautiful and really illustrates how the Japanese tradition is transferred to modern machinery.

harpratap 6y ago
There are drawbacks too, usually such solutions are very Japan centric and hard to port to other countries, leading to Galapagos syndrome. One example is bullet trains - my most favorite form of transportation but sadly only few countries can adopt it with success similar to Japan. Second is Osaifu-Ketai - I think this the best NFC based payment system in the world, extremely fast and almost no learning curve. But it took way too long to modernize it and put it inside smartphones. Is very inflexible. Licensing is too expensive so won't be ever globally opted, so we ended up with much inferior QR codes and slow NFC systems.
- aikinai 6y ago
  For your second point, I think you meant FeliCa. Osaifu-keitai is the name of the integration with phones, but FeliCa is the name of the far superior NFC standard that never took off outside Japan.
  - harpratap 6y ago
    felica did see usage as university cards but when I say "Osaifu Ketai" I mean the entire business model surrounding it too. Only Hong Kong successfully implemented it.
    - aikinai 6y ago
      Oh, if you mean the model and not the technology, Apple Pay has already accomplished far more than osaifu-keitai could ever hope to.
      - harpratap 6y ago
        Apple pay/Google pay is too slow, requires internet and has too many gotchas. And the entire thing is controlled by Apple and Google there's no competition. It's basically back to same old Visa & MasterCard duopoly.
rasz 6y ago
automation != AI. Japan leans as far away form AI as it can, everything is hardcoded/pre programmed. > Japanese craftsmanship in robot form you mean Asimo 'I have full diaper' pre programmed non closed loop/inverse kinematics walk?
- rowanG077 6y ago
  Yes. It's great!! They actually can actually reason about what they have build and show it has specific properties.
tim333 6y ago
I visited the Toyota factory in 1983 and the engine factory was almost completely automated but without computers - there were conventional mechanical and optical sensors and the like guiding the engine blocks as they trundled from machine to machine on belts. There's definitely something in the craftsman culture.

harpratap 6y ago

There are drawbacks too, usually such solutions are very Japan centric and hard to port to other countries, leading to Galapagos syndrome. One example is bullet trains - my most favorite form of transportation but sadly only few countries can adopt it with success similar to Japan. Second is Osaifu-Ketai - I think this the best NFC based payment system in the world, extremely fast and almost no learning curve. But it took way too long to modernize it and put it inside smartphones. Is very inflexible. Licensing is too expensive so won't be ever globally opted, so we ended up with much inferior QR codes and slow NFC systems.

aikinai 6y ago
For your second point, I think you meant FeliCa. Osaifu-keitai is the name of the integration with phones, but FeliCa is the name of the far superior NFC standard that never took off outside Japan.
- harpratap 6y ago
  felica did see usage as university cards but when I say "Osaifu Ketai" I mean the entire business model surrounding it too. Only Hong Kong successfully implemented it.
  - aikinai 6y ago
    Oh, if you mean the model and not the technology, Apple Pay has already accomplished far more than osaifu-keitai could ever hope to.
    - harpratap 6y ago
      Apple pay/Google pay is too slow, requires internet and has too many gotchas. And the entire thing is controlled by Apple and Google there's no competition. It's basically back to same old Visa & MasterCard duopoly.

rasz 6y ago

automation != AI. Japan leans as far away form AI as it can, everything is hardcoded/pre programmed. > Japanese craftsmanship in robot form you mean Asimo 'I have full diaper' pre programmed non closed loop/inverse kinematics walk?

rowanG077 6y ago
Yes. It's great!! They actually can actually reason about what they have build and show it has specific properties.

tim333 6y ago

I visited the Toyota factory in 1983 and the engine factory was almost completely automated but without computers - there were conventional mechanical and optical sensors and the like guiding the engine blocks as they trundled from machine to machine on belts. There's definitely something in the craftsman culture.