TOKYO - In a special NewsPicks program, experts from Laboro.AI, including CEO Tetsuo Shiibashi and senior solution designer Tatsuru Shiratori, explored how artificial intelligence can go beyond efficiency to generate real business value—what they call "value-up AI."
While many companies in Japan are adopting AI primarily for streamlining operations, Shiibashi and Shiratori argue that the true potential of AI lies in creating new revenue streams, services, and customer experiences. Using NewsPicks Studios as a case study, they demonstrated how AI can be embedded into content production not just to optimize workflows, but to fundamentally rethink and enhance business models.
The program featured two parts—"Needs Hearing" and "Presentation"—where Laboro.AI proposed concrete methods to integrate AI into NewsPicks' video production. These included the use of AI-generated "virtual residents" that interact in real time, personalized AI commentaries during videos, and memory-based AI agents that remember past interactions and evolve alongside the user. The concept imagines a media ecosystem where viewers, AI commentators, and creators all co-exist and interact like citizens in a virtual town.
Notably, they also showcased a "multi-agent system," where multiple AI personas—such as investment advisors, economists, and even fictional bosses—can engage viewers with layered, context-aware dialogue. These agents can be customized by users and even shared or monetized in the future, suggesting the potential for an AI-powered content marketplace.
Ultimately, the session emphasized that AI should not just replace human tasks but amplify a company’s identity and purpose, unlocking innovation and emotional resonance. Rather than just improving the “branches” of business, Shiibashi said, AI has the power to strengthen and transform the “trunk” itself.
Source: NewsPicks
