Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike’s AI-Driven Digital Avatar Reappears after 11 Months; More Like Her Real-Life Counterpart

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:15 JST, May 31, 2025

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike has posted a video clip featuring her AI-driven digital avatar to video-sharing website YouTube for the first time in 11 months. Before this, the avatar’s most recent appearance on the internet had been during last year’s gubernatorial election campaign.

The avatar, named AI Yuriko, acts as a virtual newscaster and provides viewers with information on the workings of the Tokyo metropolitan government. AI Yuriko’s appearance is modeled after that of the real-life Governor Koike.

The return of AI Yuriko comes just as a Tokyo assembly election is approaching.

When asked her reason for bringing back the avatar at a regular press conference Friday, Koike denied that it was related to the election, saying, “It is for notifying people about metropolitan government business in an easy-to-understand way.”

Videos of AI Yuriko are created by a generative AI program trained on videos, still images and voiceprints of Koike.

A total of 21 video clips in which AI Yuriko explains the metropolitan government’s policies on childcare, digital technology and various other issues were posted to YouTube from June to July last year.

The new video clip was posted on May 28. In the video clip, AI Yuriko says things like, “I’m back,” and “I will tell you thoroughly about the future of Tokyo.”

According to people involved in the creation of AI Yuriko, the AI has been trained on more information about the governor, so its facial expressions and intonation are now closer to hers.

At her Friday press conference, Koike was questioned about new Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s measures to deal with rising rice prices. She replied, “I am pleased with the sense of urgency he has brought to the job.”

She also praised Koizumi, who took the post on May 21, for his decision to release government-stockpiled rice under discretionary contracts, saying, “He knows a lot about how to get the public on his side.”

Koike also expressed her willingness to collaborate with Koizumi to combat high rice prices.