Revitalizing Regional Areas with AI! Discovering Innovation Potential in Fukui

Why AI × Regional Revitalization Now? AI MIRAI highlights the reasons through the following trends:

① The Accelerating "Democratization of AI"
Until a few years ago, AI implementation required significant investment or access to top-tier engineers. Today, however, AI solutions requiring only basic knowledge are being developed and distributed. This allows even small businesses to start using AI with minimal investment.

② Advancement in Utilizing "Non-Structured Data"
AI is a technology capable of handling "non-structured data" like natural language and images, which previously couldn't be treated as data. Primary industries supporting local communities and small-scale businesses lacking digitized data often hold vast amounts of such non-structured data, making them prime candidates for AI-driven breakthroughs.

③ Worsening Labor Shortages
In rural areas, the decline in the workforce due to declining birthrates and an aging population is more severe than in urban centers. Teaching technology to learn skilled know-how and improving productivity has become an urgent necessity for business survival.

However, regional companies have fewer opportunities to engage with cutting-edge technology compared to urban areas. While they may possess general knowledge about AI, they often lack practical know-how on how to apply it to their own businesses. Bridging this information gap is the first step toward regional revitalization through AI.

"THINK AI" focuses on challenges, not just technology

So, what kind of workshop did it actually become? Here are the details of the content and the experiences of those who participated.

Ten local companies gathered in the hall at Fukui Shimbun's headquarters. The group reflected the region's diversity, including large firms like Fukui Bank alongside rice milling companies, dry cleaners, and beauty salon chains.

Fukui Shimbun Headquarters (left) and the day's agenda

The lectures and workshop planning were jointly conducted by AI MIRAI and Ledge Inc., which operates Japan's largest AI-specialized web media, "Ledge.ai."

Uniquely, the program was structured not just to impart knowledge about AI, but to teach practical know-how for immediate application within their own companies. Even large corporations often fall into the trap of making "using AI" an end in itself. To avoid this, the first step was to pinpoint their company's specific challenges and then consider how AI could be linked to solving those challenges.

On the day, Ledge and AI MIRAI members visited Fukui as instructors, deepening understanding through face-to-face dialogue with local companies.

Day 1: Overview of AI Technology and Workshop to Identify Company Challenges

July. Local companies gathered with little prior AI knowledge. The first half involved classroom-style learning to build a foundational understanding of AI technology. The second half featured a seemingly unrelated exercise: "Identifying Your Company's Challenges."

"I was worried at first if I could keep up, but it was interesting seeing so many case studies."
"It was refreshing to start by confronting our own company's challenges."

This helped ease their wariness (?) toward AI and allowed them to tackle the most crucial step in AI implementation: defining challenges and goals.

Ledge.ai Editor-in-Chief Nozomi Iino, who served as the instructor. Photo courtesy of Fukui Shimbun

The first session was covered in an article by the Fukui Shimbun.

Day 2: Hands-on Training to Experience AI Solutions Firsthand

During the second workshop held in August, participants used Sony's "Prediction One"—an AI solution enabling predictive analysis without programming—to forecast sample data such as bento box sales and avocado prices.

"I never imagined I could do this myself—I was amazed at how easy it was."
"We immediately implemented it in our operations later and are now predicting various data points,"
These surprised reactions were memorable. It was a moment where we truly felt the democratization of AI.

With instructor support, the hands-on training was a hit. Photo courtesy of Fukui Shimbun

At the end of the day, participants worked on designing projects to address the challenges identified for their own companies on Day 1. They explored what technologies to use and what solutions to pursue.

Rather than just a "system development project," the design ensures all necessary elements are covered to effectively leverage it for business: defining goals, identifying stakeholders, and mapping out implementation steps.

Day 3: Project Design Presentation and Instructor Feedback

On the final day of September, groups presented their AI project designs, which had been assigned as homework since Day 2. Honestly, we were nervous about what to expect... but the instructors were all amazed by the high quality!

For example, one group centered their idea around automating tasks like "sales route planning" and "product sorting" – processes currently handled by veterans using intuition and experience. They designed the project with a broad perspective, extending beyond technology to include accompanying organizational and operational changes, as well as improvements in customer satisfaction.

They accurately grasped the strengths and weaknesses of AI, resulting in numerous brilliant ideas that were not only feasible but also grounded in field perspectives and problem-solving, poised to deliver significant business impact.

Final session before the presentation. Feedback from the instructor helped solidify the vision.

Presentations from participating companies were delivered with great confidence.

Following this, a networking event called "AI TALK NIGHT in FUKUI" was held, where not only attendees of this event but many others deepened their connections. Fukuda from AI MIRAI also took the stage to discuss the potential of AI × regional revitalization, bringing the three-month "THINK AI" initiative to a close.

Even after the event concluded,
"We'll hold a study session internally to report to our superiors right away!"
"Let's have a reunion in a year to check everyone's progress!"
It seems everyone left with a positive mindset.

We hope as many of the ideas generated this time as possible will be put into actual use. The wave of AI × regional revitalization spreading from Fukui across Japan and the world is surely not far off.

(The networking event afterward was lively too, with AI discussions continuing long into the night in Fukui...)

AI Saves the Regions

As a speaker, I felt a strong sense of accomplishment through this event.

・Any company can tackle AI implementation with foundational tech knowledge and motivation

・It is precisely because they are regional or small companies that they can discover unique ideas for AI implementation

• And above all, regional companies share a strong sense of urgency, making significant transformation possible through such projects

Japan, facing unprecedented global aging and dubbed a "pioneer in challenges." Precisely because of this, establishing a technology-driven regional revitalization model is not only urgent but could also become a competitive advantage for Japan if applied worldwide.

AI × Regional Revitalization—this is where the action is!