Japan's Minister Will Become a Cybernetic Avatar

Researchers from Japan created a cybernetic avatar (CA) of Taro Kono, Minister of Digital Affairs, to see if it can be used to work remotely and "determine the norms for a CA society". The project will undertake a proof-of-concept test to assess if people feel that the minister is addressing them and whether they are more receptive to what he is saying.

Such avatars are highly hospitable and "capable of moral discourse and conduct".

The researchers' ultimate goal is to create a society in which humans "can be free from limitations of body, brain, space, and time by 2050" by making CAs capable of moral dialogue, acting according to users’ reactions and participating in daily activities like work, education, and healthcare without the 'host' being physically present. 

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