TOKYO: Japan is seeking to boost its flagging birthrate by funding the use of artificial intelligence to help match lonely hearts, an official said Monday. Although it might not conjure thoughts of romance, AI tech can match a wider and smarter range of potential suitors, the cabinet official told AFP. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's government plans to allocate two billion yen ($19 million) in the next fiscal year to back local authorities that run schemes to help their residents find love, he said.

Around half of the nation's 47 prefectures offer matchmaking services and some of them have already introduced AI systems, according to the cabinet office.