Children’s Future Conference (17th Meeting)

Governor Koike on July 6 attended the 17th meeting of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Council on Children’s Future , a forum launched in 2020 bringing together educators, specialists and influencers.

"Today's topic is children's use of social media and such, which I think is a very timely issue,” Governor Koike said in her opening remarks at the meeting. “Furthermore, generative AI technology is advancing by leaps and bounds, changing and improving at an ever-faster pace,” she added, “and is on the verge of reaching a point where it’s impossible to predict what will happen next.”

“Generative AI is already rapidly becoming a part of children's daily lives,” the governor noted. “In some cases, it’s already been commonplace for children to turn to AI rather than their parents when they have problems, and AI has grown into a very familiar presence in their lives. It is necessary for society as a whole to consider how children living in a digital society should actually interact with social media and AI going forward,” she said.

The meeting featured Dr. Narita Zui—Chief of the Mental Function Research Section at the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry—as the special presenter. Introducing him to the forum, Governor Koike said: “We would like you to share the latest insights on children and the future in a digital society.”