Please talk to him about anything,” the ward said in a statement with Microsoft, the joint developer of the character. A " seven - year - old " artificial intelligence ( AI ) bot has been granted residency in Tokyo 's central Shibuya district . The boy , named Shibuya Boy , does not physically exist but has text messages with users of the popular Line messaging app . The character has now been given a special residence permit , making him Japan 's – and possibly the world 's – first AI character to take a residence on a real life local registry .
A " seven - year - old " artificial intelligence ( AI ) bot has been granted residency in Tokyo 's central Shibuya district . The boy , named Shibuya Boy , does not physically exist but has text messages with users of the popular Line messaging app . The character has now been given a special residence permit , making him Japan 's – and possibly the world 's – first AI character to take a residence on a real life local registry .