Rakuten unveils AI store manager and tourism AI strategy at Yokohama event

Rakuten Group announced at its "Rakuten AI Optimism" conference in Yokohama that it is developing an artificial‑intelligence "store manager" for the Rakuten Ichiba e‑commerce platform. The AI agent will learn from merchant data to answer shopper queries, recommend products, compare items and assist with ordering, operating 24 hours a day. A prototype is targeted for rollout before the end of the year.

The same event featured a discussion between Professor Kazuto Yasaka of Keio University and Rakuten senior executive Takano Yoshiyuki on how AI can support tourism and regional revitalisation amid Japan’s declining population. They presented an AI concierge that interacts with travellers to suggest hotels, itineraries and local experiences, describing tourism as a "coral reef" that connects people, culture and knowledge. Rakuten’s chairman‑CEO Hiroshi Mikitani highlighted the need for "human‑like" AI, noted challenges such as rising prices and a weak yen, and outlined a broader "super‑agent" vision linking more than 70 of the company’s services.