Japan deploys AI ‘police chief’ to tackle record $2bn fraud epidemic

Meet AIko: Japan’s AI police chief taking on a US$2 billion scam epidemic

Osaka Police deployed AIko, an AI avatar, to combat a record $2 billion annual fraud epidemic targeting under-65s, who now represent half of scam victims in the prefecture. Traditional crime prevention campaigns failed with younger audiences; AI-driven social media education marks a shift toward technology-enabled public safety reaching digitally-native demographics.