Japan to fund artificial intelligence-powered matchmaking schemes to boost birth rate

In a longshot at improving its tumbling birthrate, Japan is planning to fund artificial intelligence-powered matchmaking schemes to help people find suitable partners. As per BBC reports, starting next year, the Japanese federal government will subsidise local governments' ongoing efforts as well as new projects that deploy sophisticated artificial intelligence to pair people up.

With one of the world's lowest fertility rates, Japan has continued to amass large elderly pollution over decades and its national birth rate hit a record low in 2018 with less than 865,000 babies born. AI-based matchmaking comes as the Japanese government's latest efforts to reverse the trend. As per reports, the government plans to allocate 2 billion yen ($19 million) next year for the local authorities' birth rate improvement projects. 

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Sophisticated matchmaking system

AI technology is expected to make a sophisticated analysis of standardised forms containing people's personal details. As per reports, the existing systems are limited in the range with income and age being the defining criteria. The funding aims to allow authorities to step up their efforts to include advanced verticals like hobbies and values. This comes as Japan's population is projected to fall from 128 million in 2017 to less than 53 million by the end of the century.

However, the move remains controversial as civil society leaders push for improving living standards among young Japanese than AI matchmaking. As per a recent peer-reviewed paper on Japan's demographical trends, there is a link between lower income levels and the loss of interest in romantic relationships among young adults. 

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According to Sachiko Horiguchi, a socio-cultural and medical anthropologist at Japan's Temple University, if the youth is not dating, the matchmaking projects are bound to fail. 

Meanwhile, a lack of support for working mothers, gender gap, and pay parity in employment remain some of the pressing concerns for policymakers. Besides, the burden of child care is largely expected to be shouldered by women in Japan in addition to housework responsibilities. In the World Economic Forum's gender equality report for 2019, Japan ranked 121st out of 153 countries, slipping down 11 places from the year before.

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