She was among five girls in Japan believed to have beaten a boy so severely that he required hospital treatment. Yet her most pressing concern was how much money the group should demand from him. To find an answer, she turned to artificial intelligence.The alleged assault took place in January in Hachioji, a city in western Greater Tokyo.For experts, the case has exposed a disturbing pattern: Japanese adolescents instinctively turning to AI to guide their actions, including criminal ones, rather than exercising their own judgment or restraint.Police said the boy, a high-school student, suffered serious injuries, with five girls accused of carrying out the attack.But it took a second, higher-profile case of alleged violence, this time involving a sporting celebrity, to focus Japan’s attention on AI’s far-reaching social impact.Shinnosuke Abe cries during a press conference announcing his resignation as manager of the Yomiuri Giants on May 26. Photo: KyodoShinnosuke Abe, 47, manager of the storied Yomiuri Giants baseball team, was arrested at his Tokyo home on May 25 on suspicion of assaulting his 18-year-old daughter. The team announced his resignation the following day.
Japan confronts the dark side of its teenagers’ AI addiction
An assault case involving five Japanese girls has cast a spotlight on the consequences of AI misuse.
TL;DRAI
Japanese teenagers are consulting AI to guide criminal decisions—five teens used an AI system to determine extortion amounts after assaulting a peer; a sports manager's arrest for assault exemplifies broader youth AI-dependency. For tech leaders, this reveals critical AI governance gaps—safeguards against minor misuse are missing, signaling regulatory tightening on content moderation and responsible deployment policies.
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