Is it true that the Moonshot project encourages class disparities in Japanese society by enabling one person to control and operate 10 robots? No, that's not true: In the project's introduction video which explains the first of its 9 goals, head researcher Norihiro Hagita says that he takes the example of controlling 10 robots as a metaphor to describe the project's productivity.
The claim appeared on TikTok (archived here) on August 2, 2023. The video introduces the Moonshot Project as an R&D program that aims to improve artificial intelligence (AI) and cybernetic technology and create a world where AI and humans can co-exist. The video then states that the Moonshot project's underlying purpose would be to divide the rich and the poor while the first ones could afford the cybernetic avatars and the others couldn't. The video says in Japanese, translated by Lead Stories' staff in English:
Is this an innovative service? No, this is a service that divides the rulers and the slaves. If you miss your chance, you might not be able to climb the ladder ever again. Do you think you'll be safe with your current job and lifestyle?
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Mon Aug 7 02:25:14 2023 UTC)
The TikTok video falsely generalizes and misinterprets the Moonshot project's aim, only covering 1 out of 9 goals. The first goal, overcoming the limitations of the body, brain, space, and time, aims to use cybernetic avatars to enhance the human mind and body, surpassing human limitations. The first goal's project head, Norihiro Hagita, has stated that the goal and the concept of cybernetic avatars was to find solutions to deal with the aging population problem by allowing a life beyond the body's physical limitations, thereby allowing people to remain in employment. Furthermore, the aim of the first goal is actually to remove segregation of class and age, allowing anyone who is willing to increase their physical, cognitive, and perceptional capabilities to access to the cybernetic avatars.
Additionally, the TikTok video misinterprets the metaphor which Hagita uses when explaining the project. Hagita uses the 10 robots metaphor in a way that describes how highly efficient he wants the cybernetic avatars to be, making the service as productive as possible by being able to control ten robots at once.
