AI no Idenshi

Title:AI no Idenshi
AIの遺電子
The Gene of AI
Overall:Rent
Keywords: , , , ,
Notables: Animation - Madhouse
MIYAMOTO Yume
OOTSUKA Takeo
Hikaru Sudo is a human doctor who specializes in treating humanoids who come to him with various problems and worries. Although humanoids suffer from “diseases” like humans, there are “treatment” options available only to them. In a world where humans, humanoids, and robots live alongside one another in daily life, the protagonist is a human doctor who treats humanoids.
(Summary Courtesy of Anime News Network)


12-episode TV anime that premiered on July 7, 2023.
Animated by Madhouse.
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Rent 8 8 8 6 7 7 Ggultra2764 [series:4684#1552]
Gene of AI is a sort of speculative sci-fi series exploring different scenarios in which AI within humanoids and robots get manipulated in potentially ethical and questionable situations, with most episodes being self-contained stories with Sudo's services serving as the connective tissue for the title's central theme. This gets explored in a number of different scenarios for everyday situations such as school life, romance, work, and mental health. Some stories also go into elements of exploring the characters at Hikaru's clinic with the doctor himself and his assistant, Risa. The different scenarios explored each have their varying levels of quality in how the series explores them, and a number of them are made with Japanese sensibilities in mind. For instance, one scenario involving the decision to "correct" the autism of a child humanoid with behavioral problems could be viewed as problematic for those on the spectrum and is especially touchy territory considering the stigma within Japanese society of addressing mental health and disorders. Still, the focus on dabbling into potential ethical situations with AI in mundane situations is an interesting focus and of convenient timing considering the recent moral and ethical dilemmas within real world situations to implement AI-based systems like ChatGPT and Bard. It's at least worth a watch if you like speculative fiction, though be aware that a number of these are more focused on their impact within Japanese society at large.

Last updated Saturday, September 30 2023. Created Saturday, September 30 2023.
Unevaluated Stretch [series:4684#628]
(Two episodes watched):

Hikaru Sudo is the 'underworld doctor who will provide illegal treatment so long as the price is right'. His mother is in prison after allowing another shady outfit to make a forbidden 'backup' copy of her personality in exchange for an expensive medical treatment that Hikaru needed as a child. Apparently, a copy of her--a 'humanoid', I'm guessing--was made and Sudo hopes to find it someday. He's a gruff, abrasive guy who is angry at the hand life has dealt him, but basically wants to help people who have run afoul of the law like his mother did. Risa is his humanoid nurse (1% of the population are humanoids, it is mentioned). I think humanoids are artificial bodies with human personalities. Apparently you can transfer your personality to an artificial body as long as you don't create any additional copies of your mind. Anyway, the thought occured to me that I hope this show will pursue an ongoing plot--perhaps Sudo's duplicate mother--rather than each episode being a little story like the case he handles in episode one, because that was OK but not great.

Episode two suggests that each episode will be a mix of quick, short stories and the longterm plot. I was not excited by the teenage track and field athlete who feels being a humanoid is a handicap rather than an advantage in sports. It seemed that his real problem was basically a psychological one that could easily occur today rather than something that could only happen in the not too distant future. More interesting was the mention of 'MICHI', or 'Multifaceted Interface for Communication with Human Intelligence' or something like that. What exactly it is remains unclear. It looks like the crime Hikaru's mother committed was actually to allow a copy of him to be made, and we briefly meet this double. So, one step forward and one step back for this show. Just breaking even is not good enough; I concluded that this anime was not really all that novel and clever after all, and decided not to watch.



Last updated Tuesday, September 26 2023. Created Thursday, July 13 2023.

Other Sites
NameURL
Official Japanese Series Web Site https://ai-no-idenshi.com/

Community Anime Reviews

anime mikomi org