Software driven by artificial intelligence that can produce instructional videos for foreign workers in Japan more easily has been launched, with the ability to produce video footage accompanied by text translated into 20 different languages.
Tokyo-based software provider Studist Corp. is offering the service, called "Teachme AI," to ease the burden on companies that need to create tutorial videos at a time when the number of foreign workers in Japan is increasing amid the country's serious labor shortages and aging population.
Teachme AI can create tutorial videos from raw footage in a short period. It can cut editing times by over 90 percent, with footage automatically divided into chapters with subtitles and written explanations.
The software can produce content in languages such as Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian and Bengali.
"The videos are useful for helping (workers) to learn the ropes at their jobs," Satoshi Suzuki, president of Studist, said, underscoring the importance of giving the necessary training to foreign workers.
The number of foreign workers in Japan as of the end of October 2023 topped 2 million for the first time, according to government data.
Last month, Japan's parliament enacted revised laws to replace a controversy-plagued foreign trainee program with a new system that encourages workers from abroad to stay longer.
During a demonstration test of the AI software at a meat shop in Ageo, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, a 30-minute video demonstrating the how-to's of packing meat with Thai explanations was produced in about 15 minutes.
"I was surprised to see how quickly (the manual) was produced," said Yumi Eguchi, an executive officer of wholesaler Sc Meat Co.
Wandee Sriprom, a 42-year-old worker from the Southeast Asian nation, who took on the task while looking at the video, said, "Thanks to the Thai subtitles, it was easy for me to understand what to do."
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