The use of robots equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly expanding. For Japanese people who have become familiar with “Astro Boy,” “Doraemon,” and the like, robots are accepted as helpers who are almost like friends. On the other hand, in places like Europe and America, AI is sometimes seen as a symbol of a dystopian society. This perception may stem from the influence of movies depicting conflicts between machines and humans, such as “Terminator” and “The Matrix.” In many cases, while robots often contribute to streamlining tasks, concerns about them taking away human jobs persist. In Japan, there is a growing interest in “weak robots” that evoke a desire to help. For example, there are “talking robots” whose speech is halting, and “trash can robots” that find the trash and walk unsteadily but can’t pick it up. These robots teach the importance of helping each other by properly exposing their weaknesses. Moreover, they bring out the strengths and kindness of humans. We are given the opportunity to consider the “mutually beneficial relationship” together with the robots between humans and machines. (From June issue, 2024 / 2024年6月号より)