The land of Doraemon theoretically embraces new technology, yet struggles to implement it in practice. **October 24th, 2024** What cultural icons emerge when an American thinks of artificial intelligence (AI)?Perhaps it's the cyborgs from the "Terminator" movie franchise or Hal from Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey"—notorious rogue computer systems that rise against their human creators. In contrast, what springs to mind for the Japanese?

Doraemon, the endearing robotic companion from a wildly popular anime series named after him. This reflects a narrative circulating in Japanese tech circles, indicating that Japan holds significant potential in the AI sector. This article was published in the Asia section of the print edition under the title "Generative Fears. " From the October 26th, 2024 edition. Explore more stories from this section in the contents list. Other highlights include: - The daunting challenges of nickel production: a different experience in Indonesia. - Despite market fluctuations, Indonesia aims to enhance its resource nationalism. - The rise of deepfake scams is just beginning. - Modi and Xi's meeting in Russia marks the start of a new partnership. - Indonesia’s assertive new leader: Prabowo Subianto, recovering from years of disgrace and exile. - Myanmar's military junta has devised a chaotic currency system due to a desperate need for cash, distorting foreign-exchange markets. - A significant shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy under Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, marking its most substantial change since the 1980s.