Background

Kura Sushi is among Japan’s largest sellers of tuna by volume. To procure stock, the sushi chain’s skilled artisans visited various regions in Japan and abroad to directly evaluate the quality of tuna for purchase, using judgment cultivated through years of experience. However, travel restrictions imposed during the pandemic made it impossible for artisans to evaluate and purchase on-site as they had before. To ensure that it could continue delivering delicious tuna to consumers amid these supply threats, Kura Sushi adopted a technology that we had developed. We took on the challenge of ‘AI-driven purchasing’, a new initiative that overturned conventions in the fishing industry.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

We developed TUNA SCOPE, the world's first AI capable of discerning tuna quality with the eye of a skilled Japanese artisan. Using the peculiarities of deep learning, the AI was able to establish its own methodology for making judgments that had been considered 'tacit knowledge' based on human intuition and experience, becoming the world's first AI to successfully acquire a professional skill. The resulting AI is able to match the quality judgments of skilled artisans in over 90 percent of cases, and can be deployed round-the-clock, simultaneously, anywhere in the world.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

Working with Kura Sushi, we sent the TUNA SCOPE data to Dalian, China, where in a world-first the AI performed remote purchasing in place of skilled artisans. Having mastered the specialized skill, the AI’s judgment succeeded in procuring several hundred tons of tuna far faster than previously possible, without requiring staff to travel during the pandemic. In July 2020, AI purchasing by TUNA SCOPE was announced to the press as ‘a new approach to purchasing’ to overcome the COVID-19 crisis. Tuna that the AI selected as the highest quality stock from among several hundred tons was also launched as a new product, ‘AI Tuna’, sold at 461 Kura Sushi stores around Japan. We also conducted an ongoing launch campaign for ‘AI Tuna’ that included TV commercials.

List the results (20% of vote)

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, AI Tuna achieved three times the forecast sales (across 461 stores nationwide). This initiative has become a global sensation, covered by over 1,000 media outlets in 56 countries as an innovation that will transform the fisheries industry beyond the current pandemic. TUNA SCOPE has been adopted as a promotion program supported by the government of Japan. With the national government’s support, we are expanding the supply of AI-selected tuna around the world, including in New York and Singapore. Through TUNA SCOPE, we seek to spread Japanese skills globally to create a society where everyone can enjoy delicious tuna into the future.