Seika, a town located in the southern part of the Kyoto Prefecture, has a mascot anime girl character named Seika Kyomachi. The mascot is notable for employing various technological innovations in her mission to spread information about the town; she became a Voiceroid character in 2016, her 3D data is open source, and in July she became a Virtual YouTuber. Her latest foray is into artificial intelligence, which would allow her to respond to queries in real time. The "Narikiri AI" (Impersonation AI) project is a collaboration between the city of Seikai and NTT Communication Science Laboratories. The AI will be developed by taking feedback from a small group of users who are knowledgeable about the town and the mascot; they provide sample questions and answers, as well as vote on responses that sound the most in-character for the mascot.

SEIKA, Kyoto Prefecture--Fans of the adorable Seika Kyomachi, the town of Seika's popular mascot, will soon be able to carry on a conversation with the digital character. The small town, located between Kyoto and Nara, is collaborating with NTT Communication Science Laboratories to develop artificial intelligence capabilities for the mascot. The plan would allow Seika Kyomachi to answer questions from visitors and locals about tourism and municipal administration. Seika officials announced the project in July, and aim to put the AI-driven character into practical use in November. The town introduced Seika Kyomachi as its official mascot in 2013 and has long pioneered new ways to use the cute character.