Japan political party to install AI leader

An upstart Japanese political party said Tuesday it will install an artificial intelligence as leader after its maverick founder quit following a disastrous showing in recent elections. The Path to Rebirth party, which was launched in January by Shinji Ishimaru, a former mayor of a small city in western Japan, does not have a policy platform and its members are free to set their own agendas. Ishimaru unexpectedly came second in the 2024 Tokyo gubernatorial election thanks to a successful online campaign but he quit the party after it failed to pick up any seats in this year's upper house elections. The new leader will be AI, Koki Okumura, a doctoral student of AI research who described himself as an assistant to the new leader, told a news conference. Shinji Ishimaru, leader of The Path to Rebirth party, holds a news conference in August in Tokyo.