AI May Swell Japan’s Lower-Income Ranks, Party Leader Warns

Artificial intelligence could upend Japan’s labor market and swell the ranks of those subsisting on low incomes, creating the need for targeted policy support, the leader of an upstart opposition party focused on the implications of technology said.

“There’s a quite high probability that AI will significantly transform the labor market, and the proportion of low- and middle-income earners will increase,” Takahiro Anno, a leader of Team Mirai, said in an interview with Bloomberg on Friday. “It’s important that we are prepared to address the issue,” he said, pointing to a refundable tax credit or even a basic income as preferred policy options.