Panasonic revives its late founder as AI

Japanese electronics company Panasonic has created an AI version of its founder, Kōnosuke Matsushita, who died in 1989, The Japan Times reports. Matsushita was one of the most respected figures in the Japanese business world and his book, The Path, is usually considered as mandatory reading for Japanese entrepreneurs.

According to Panasonic, the number of people Matsushita personally trained at the company has decreased, making an AI ​​version necessary. “We believe it is important for our employees to understand our founder Kōnosuke Matsushita’s leadership philosophy, on which our basic management policy is based, and to pass it on through generations,” Panasonic said in a statement, according to The Register.

Panasonic reportedly collaborated with Tokyo University’s Matsuo Institute to develop the AI Matsushita, which ​​will be trained on 3,000 recordings of Matsushita, as well as his writings, lectures and digitized interviews.

The plan is to do the same with Matsushita’s direct contacts and researchers so they can help users make management decisions based on what the founder might have thought or felt about a situation.