Japan's AI Ticket Trial and Global Push for Advanced Reasoning Highlight Growing Impact

Generative AI is rapidly becoming part of everyday life. In Japan, East Japan Railway began a trial on July 20 using generative AI to assist passengers buying tickets at staffed Midori no Madoguchi counters. SoftBank Group chairman Masayoshi Son warned that AI could raise global GDP by about 20% by 2040, an increase he equated to roughly 7 quadrillion yen, or about 60 years of Japan’s national budget. The rise of AI is already influencing financial markets, with sharp falls in AI‑related stocks pulling down the broader Nikkei index.

Industry leaders are also expanding AI's capabilities through new reasoning settings. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Grok now offer multiple levels such as Light, Medium, High, Max, and Ultra, each representing deeper internal processing. These modes generate internal “reasoning tokens” that help the model break down problems, plan actions, and handle ambiguity, though the exact computation behind each level varies by provider and is not publicly quantified. Tokens used can range from a few hundred to tens of thousands per request, offering a glimpse into the scale of AI’s internal reasoning.

Both developments illustrate AI’s growing role in consumer services, economics, and the technical architecture of large‑scale models.