日前，日本最大的电商平台乐天株式会社宣布将与IBM达成战略合作，将共同建立人工智能平台，标志着日本金融行业继续进军人工智能领域。

据了解，乐天人工智能平台的构建将基于IBM Watson所提供的应用程序编程接口（API），同时，该平台将作为乐天集团的内部系统，为用户提供带有智能回复功能的服务系统。乐天负责人指出，新型人工智能平台的优越性之一在于，双方通过利用新型技术减少了每个用户连接到智能服务系统所用的时间，从而提高用户服务的质量和效率。

此前，乐天集团与IBM在线上成立了技术研发中心，使得双方员工能够在线进行交流合作，共同开发和测试人工智能技术。此外，乐天还在该中心开启了员工培训计划，为人工智能平台的上线积累人才。

近年来，乐天一直在加大对图像识别技术、人工智能以及大数据分析领域的研究力度。通过将内外部先进的科技与自身业务优势相结合，提高服务质量。

除乐天集团外，三菱金融集团、Monex等其他日本金融巨头也加紧进军人工智能领域。

日本三菱日联金融集团旗下子公司Kabu.com Securities曾与人工智能创业公司AlpacaDB Inc.共同开发了股票搜索系统"AlpacaSearch for kabu.com"，旨在帮助股票交易商及时了解证券市场变动；日本电子商务平台Monex集团旗下子公司Monex也曾与金融科技公司公司Good Moneyger达成合作，利用人工智能技术向用户提供市场调查报告。

然而，人工智能技术的蓬勃发展也引发了日本民众对于失业的恐惧。据统计，使用机器人和人工智能技术将在2030年前创建500万个工作岗位，同时，因机器人替代人工，传统领域的人力需求将减少740万人，因此，将有240万日本人失去工作。尽管如此，乐天人工智能平台的成功实践还是证明了人工智能技术能够极大的降低企业运营成本，消除人为风险，提高发展平稳水平。

The financial services sector in Japan continues its push into the world of artificial intelligence (AI), as Rakuten Inc is building an AI platform in collaboration with IBM Japan.

Today, Rakuten announces that it has partnered with IBM Japan to create the “Rakuten AI Platform,” an internal Rakuten system which will introduce chatbots with automatic response functions into customer support. The system was built utilizing APIs provided by IBM Watson. One of the advantages of the platform is that it will reduce the time needed to introduce chatbots to each service and is expected to improve the quality and convenience of customer support.

As a part of the development of the new AI platform, the two companies have this year established the Center of Competency, a virtual organization in which employees from both companies develop and implement AI technologies and which provides training and education on the AI platform for Rakuten employees.

Rakuten has been promoting AI research in areas like image recognition technology, as well as big data analysis. By combining both internal and external AI-related technologies with its own business expertise, Rakuten pledges to continue the adoption of AI and enhance the quality of its services.

Recently, we have seen a number of Japanese financial services companies adopt AI solutions. This list of companies includes FX brokers too.

Kabu.com Securities, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc, plans to launch “AlpacaSearch for kabu.com”, developed jointly with AI startup AlpacaDB Inc. The tool aims to help stock traders identify market opportunities. Japanese online trading company Monex Inc, a subsidiary of Monex Group, Inc., has teamed up with fintech company Good Moneyger, to provide a special AI-based market report to its clients.

The increased adoption of AI solutions has raised questions about human beings keeping (or losing) their jobs. From what we have seen in the FX world, AI is thus far used for improving the trading experience and research rather than overtaking anyone’s job. Uncertainty, however, looms for customer support staff and the creation of solutions like the new Rakuten AI platform proves it – the cost reduction and the smoothness of operations associated with such AI systems is lucrative for companies.