Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered software has been released to make it easier to create instructional videos for foreign workers in Japan, allowing the creation of video footage with text translated into 20 languages.
Tokyo-based software company Studyst is offering a service called “Teachme AI” to ease the burden on companies that need to create tutorial videos amid a worsening labor shortage and aging population, as well as an increase in foreign workers.
A photo taken in Ageo, Saitama Prefecture, on June 11, 2024 shows a tutorial video with Vietnamese subtitles. (Kyodo News)
Teachme AI can quickly create tutorial videos from your raw footage, and the footage will be automatically split into chapters with subtitles and descriptions, reducing your editing time by over 90%.
The software can create content in languages such as Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Bengali.
“The videos will help foreign workers learn the ropes of the job,” said Studist President Satoshi Suzuki, emphasizing the importance of providing necessary training to foreign workers.
According to government statistics, the number of foreign workers residing in Japan as of the end of October 2023 exceeded 2 million for the first time.
Last month, Japan's parliament passed a revised law to replace the controversial foreign trainee system with a new system that encourages foreign workers to stay longer.
In a demonstration test of the AI software at a butcher shop in Ageo City, Saitama Prefecture, a 30-minute video explaining how to pack meat was produced in about 15 minutes in Thai.
“I was surprised that (the manual) was created so quickly,” said Yumi Eguchi, an executive officer at wholesaler SC Meat.
Wandee Sriprom (42), a worker from Southeast Asia who worked while watching the video, said, “Thanks to the Thai subtitles, it was easy to understand what I needed to do.”
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