Police in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, have introduced a virtual AI police chief to help raise public awareness of increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes, particularly among younger generations, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing Kyodo.
The virtual character, named AIko — a combination of "AI" and the common Japanese female name suffix "ko" — appears as a young woman and delivers crime prevention advice through the Osaka Prefectural Police's YouTube channel.
According to police, fraudsters have increasingly targeted victims by posing as police officers, celebrities promoting investment opportunities or even romantic partners. While older people remain frequent targets, scams are also affecting people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and early 60s.
AIko made her first appearance in a video released in late May, using real-life examples of online conversations between scammers and victims to explain common fraud tactics.
In one of the videos, she reminds viewers that legitimate police officers do not display their identification cards or arrest warrants online.
Preliminary police data show that nearly half of all fraud victims in Osaka Prefecture last year were aged 64 or younger.
Toshinori Hirano, a visiting professor at the Cyber Security Center of Kagawa University who has long cooperated with Osaka police and helped develop the virtual character, said the initiative aims to strengthen public awareness of fraud prevention through the use of modern technology.
Earlier, it was reported that Meta unveiled a new line of AI-powered smart glasses developed in partnership with EssilorLuxottica.