<p class="title">An AI character was made an official resident of a busy central Tokyo district on Saturday, with the virtual newcomer resembling a chatty seven-year-old boy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The boy named "Shibuya Mirai" does not exist physically, but he can have text conversations with humans on the widely used LINE messaging app.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Tokyo's Shibuya Ward, an area popular with fashion-conscious young people, has given the character his own special residence certificate.</p>.<p class="bodytext">This makes him Japan's first, and maybe the world's first, artificial intelligence bot to be granted a place on a real-life local registry.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Mirai, whose name means "future" in Japanese, is supposed to be a first grader at an elementary school.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He can reply to messages and make light-hearted alterations to selfies he is sent.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Shibuya said the project aimed to make the district's local government more familiar to residents and allow officials to hear their opinions.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"His hobbies are taking pictures and observing people. And he loves talking with people... Please talk to him about anything," the ward said in a statement with Microsoft, the joint developer of the AI character.</p>.<p class="bodytext">mis/kh/kaf</p>
<p class="title">An AI character was made an official resident of a busy central Tokyo district on Saturday, with the virtual newcomer resembling a chatty seven-year-old boy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The boy named "Shibuya Mirai" does not exist physically, but he can have text conversations with humans on the widely used LINE messaging app.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Tokyo's Shibuya Ward, an area popular with fashion-conscious young people, has given the character his own special residence certificate.</p>.<p class="bodytext">This makes him Japan's first, and maybe the world's first, artificial intelligence bot to be granted a place on a real-life local registry.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Mirai, whose name means "future" in Japanese, is supposed to be a first grader at an elementary school.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He can reply to messages and make light-hearted alterations to selfies he is sent.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Shibuya said the project aimed to make the district's local government more familiar to residents and allow officials to hear their opinions.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"His hobbies are taking pictures and observing people. And he loves talking with people... Please talk to him about anything," the ward said in a statement with Microsoft, the joint developer of the AI character.</p>.<p class="bodytext">mis/kh/kaf</p>