If there is anything to take away from the recent Olympic games, it is that every four years, there is an opportunity to make a mark on a specific issue on the world stage. For example, 2012 was the Olympics that really placed an emphasis on the Paralympic games.
Tokyo has a track record in this regard; in 1964, when Tokyo last hosted the Summer Olympics, Japan revealed the debut of the world-famous bullet train.
We predict that AI will be at the core of Tokyo 2020; the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fast developing, with exciting technologies being developed across a whole range of sectors.
Japan is already one of the most automated nations on the Earth, so it comes as no surprise that the government has a specialist committee working on launching a whole range of AI initiatives for the Olympics.
Here’s what we’re most excited about…
- Tokyo are working towards the installation of robots around the city which will provide language translation, directions and guide people to transport.
- The host nation hopes that by 2020 all transportation will be completed by self-driving cars, buses and coaches.
- The successor to Japan’s iconic bullet train, the Maglev, is currently being tested, having broken the land speed record by travelling at a colossal 374 miles per hour.
- Tokyo also plans to revolutionise stadium ticketing systems by using facial recognition technology to verify ticket holders.
- Panasonic, the Japanese electronics giant, is working on developing a security system which will make use of tens of thousands of cameras and sensors around the city
As you’d expect, no expense is being spared on making this the most-high tech of Olympic Games with some analysts predicting the Tokyo Games could cost up to $18 billion, contrast that with £8,.77 billion spent on London 2012 and $5 billion spent on Rio 2016, we could be in for a spectacular Olympics, with Artificial Intelligence at its core.