Facing a serious labor shortage, Japan’s proactive use of robots and AI is cited as a guideline for its response. Japan should urgently build an ecosystem centered on robots and AI, but if the direction is wrong, AI could become a monster that excludes people from society. (Kei Kitajima)

“Foreigners or AI” (by Hideyuki Araki, Sankei Shimbun Publishing) is a book that outlines the guidelines Japan should adopt in the face of a serious labor shortage. The author, Mr. Araki, is a principal researcher at Resona Research Institute and specializes in macroeconomics. In conclusion, the book presents a strategy centered on robots and AI as a trump card for addressing the labor shortage.

Currently, the proactive use of foreign labor is also being explored as a measure to address the labor shortage, but the active use of foreigners presents many challenges and social issues. As evidenced by the immigration issues erupting in Europe and the United States, while there are certainly economic benefits, the social disadvantages outweigh them, raising questions about the sustainability of society if foreign labor is actively utilized.
I fundamentally agree with the book’s arguments. I believe that the active use of robots and AI is essential to address labor shortages and maintain and develop the economy, and that we should urgently build an ecosystem centered on robots and AI.
In fact, I’m concerned that if robots and AI are successfully utilized throughout society in the future, a paradoxical phenomenon will become the norm: a declining population but a surplus of labor. To me, with these concerns, accepting foreigners to address labor shortages and maintain and develop the economy seems premature and I fear it will leave lasting negative consequences.
In the age of AI, when the population declines while unemployment remains high, a large influx of foreign workers will inevitably lead to fierce competition for already limited jobs. From the perspective of capitalists and managers, this might appear to be a healthy environment, as it creates an overwhelming buyer’s market, allowing them to recruit suitable talent advantageously.
However, from a societal perspective, this situation is inherently unnecessary friction, only exacerbating social unrest and ultimately failing to contribute to the long-term maintenance and development of the economy. In other words, it does not contribute to the happiness of the majority of people living in Japan. From this viewpoint, I believe that promoting the use of robots and AI and building an ecosystem is the most crucial step in addressing labor shortages while maintaining and developing the economy.
Here, I want to reiterate why we must address labor shortages and maintain and develop the economy.
Because it stabilizes the lives of the majority of people and provides a foundation for each individual to pursue happiness. The focus is on people’s happiness—this is the direction and value system. Therefore, utilizing AI in line with this direction and value system is essential.
In other words, it is crucial to maximize the productivity bandwagon effect through AI.
The productivity bandwagon is a phenomenon where the economic benefits gained from technological innovation and productivity improvements spread not only to capitalists and managers, but to the entire workforce.
Generally, it is believed that technological advancements lead to increased wealth for society as a whole, but in terms of economic benefits, this is not always the case.
According to “A Thousand Years of Technological Innovation and Inequality” (by Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson, Hayakawa Publishing), while the productivity bandwagon can have a significant impact and spread wealth to many people, there have been only a handful of cases throughout history where technological innovation has resulted in a productivity bandwagon. In short, technological innovation does not automatically make people wealthy.
The book argues that technology can be categorized into two directions: “helping humans” and “replacing humans.” It criticizes the current trend for being too heavily skewed towards maximizing the profits of capitalists and managers.
The same applies to AI. While it is a technology with the potential to contribute to people’s happiness, if misused, it can become a monster that excludes people from society. And I am very wary of and apprehensive about the current direction of AI. In July 2025, the United States published “Winning the AI ​​Race: America’s AI Action Plan.” According to this plan, AI is a technology for American companies to survive, and it’s clear that the intention is to use AI to make a fortune and strengthen American hegemony.

If the US aggressively drives AI forward with its stated direction and values, the productivity bandwagon will not function at all, and it will only result in a hyper-unequal society that blatantly embodies the “1% and 99%” divide.

※Translating Japanese articles into English with AI