Yesterday, just before the NHK Central Program Council meeting, Mr. Watanabe—who has been supporting me for the past 10 years and is currently the producer of “Asa Ichi”—gave me a tour of the studio. I even got to take some photos on set like a total fan girl (*^^*)
　The NHK Central Program Council reviews both mandatory and optional programs; yesterday’s mandatory program was“New Common Sense on Beauty and Youth: The Secrets of the Body.” With the internet overflowing with beauty and health information—making it difficult to determine what’s accurate—I see great value in NHK airing a program on BS Premium that poses questions from the public’s perspective while drawing on explanations from multiple experts.On the other hand, I was unsure how to comment on this particular episode. This is because I believe many viewers will find it an informative and practical program that offers insights applicable to daily life, and I wondered whether it was really the kind of program that should be discussed at the Central Program Council—or if there might be other themes more deserving of discussion here.
　I believe we should be deliberating on programs that divide public opinion or spark journalistic debate. For example, how NHK should cover sumo wrestling amid the current controversy, or how to handle live coverage of the Diet, which divides the public along partisan lines.I highly commend the program in question as being truly excellent, but I honestly conveyed my impression that, as a topic for the Central Program Council, the discussion would likely result in very peaceful and inoffensive comments.

　Now, regarding the selected program, we had already decided on one educational program to discuss at the previous meeting, but we decided against that and instead commented on the new female announcer hired in April: the AI announcer “Yomiko.”It became a major talking point last year when an FM station in Wakayama introduced an AI announcer, but I was both surprised and impressed that NHK immediately followed suit by introducing one on terrestrial television.
The concept of an announcer who “usually lives on a smartphone” is interesting, but what really stuck with me was an NHK representative’s comment at her debut: “This is an announcer we’d like you all to help nurture.”An announcer nurtured by the entire nation. I look forward to watching with great interest how she will develop as an announcer and how she will be accepted by society. I’ve also heard that the introduction of AI will lead to reforms in work styles, so I have high hopes for that as well.
　I believe that, in addition to delivering quality programming to every corner of the country, NHK’s role includes the development of cutting-edge technology. With the 2020 Olympics just around the corner, I have particularly high hopes for the latter.For example, AI could recommend programs I want to watch or should watch; display footage from my preferred camera angles during sports broadcasts; or create programs based on information and data that humans alone cannot gather.
　I expressed my hope that, through the integration of AI into programming, NHK would present a bright vision of the future regarding topics such as “AI and society,” “AI and daily life,” and “AI and the future.”