A.I.

Basic Information

Stock Code
4388
Industry
Information and Communications Industry
Category Detail
Systems & Software
Prefecture
Tokyo
Establishment Year
April 2003
Listing Year
June 2018
Official Website
https://www.ai-j.jp/
TSE Information
TSE Information
Yahoo! Finance
Yahoo! Finance
Other Companies
Systena, Unirita, Chier, Innovation, S Innovate, SourceNext, VNX, Edulab, JustSystems, Second Sight Analytics, Globee, Econavista

Overview

A.I. is an innovative company in the information and communications industry, founded in 2003, with voice synthesis technology as its core strength, excelling in high-quality voice synthesis engines and multilingual products.

Current Situation

A.I. leads the market with its voice synthesis engines AITalk and the A.I.VOICE series. In 2023, with capital of 100 million yen, it maintains a solid financial base. Under the guidance of President and Representative Director Shinichi Hiroii, the company is headquartered in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market in June 2018. Utilizing the latest deep learning technology, it has developed AITalk6 in 2023, achieving natural and expressive voice synthesis, with applications expanding to multilingual voice services both domestically and internationally. It strengthens B2B and consumer product deployments through collaboration with diverse customer segments. It has successfully differentiated itself from competitors in the voice synthesis market, aiming for business growth through strategic partnerships and product lineup expansion. In recent years, it has also engaged in sustainability initiatives, with securing mid- to long-term growth drivers and promoting technological innovation as strategic goals.

Trivia

Interesting Facts

  • AITalk was first released in 2007 and has over 15 years of history
  • A.I. has productized synthesized speech for Kansai dialect speakers
  • Provides products supporting over 40 languages besides Japanese
  • Latest engine implements three types of emotional expression
  • Combines waveform concatenation technology and deep learning methods
  • Deploys consumer voice synthesis brand A.I.VOICE
  • Provides voice synthesis technology to robots like Pepper
  • Track record of technology provision for multiple famous character voices
  • Publishes numerous voice demos on official YouTube channel
  • One of Japan's leading technology companies specialized in voice synthesis
  • Custom dictionary creation service for voice synthesis highly rated
  • Holds patents for emotional expression parameter adjustment
  • Actively expanding corporate AI voice synthesis services
  • Numerous products utilizing voice data from voice actors and celebrities
  • Focuses on educational support tools with voice synthesis

Hidden Connections

  • Strategic partnership with Toyota Tsusho affiliate for Chinese autonomous driving software
  • Continues services from absorbed and merged Koeste Co., Ltd.
  • A.I. technology adopted in Yamaha's Gallery Child Talk
  • Technology provided for VOCALOMAKETS character voices
  • Collaborates with many games and broadcasting stations on voice synthesis
  • Conducting joint research with experts in Japan's voice synthesis field
  • A.I.VOICE Junior lowered entry barriers for individual users
  • Promoting voice synthesis adoption through official YouTube channel

Future Outlook

Growth Drivers

  • Acceleration of AI and deep learning technology evolution
  • Expansion of multilingual and diverse voice needs in domestic and international markets
  • Growth in automotive and robotics markets due to voice UI adoption
  • Increasing demand for cloud voice services
  • Expansion of consumer voice synthesis products
  • Rising demand for custom voices in corporate sector
  • Strengthening of accessibility-related regulations
  • Voice needs in metaverse, VR/AR
  • Expansion of utilization due to advanced communications in 5G/6G era
  • New market creation through content voice conversion
  • Promotion of DX (Digital Transformation)
  • Development of industrial robots and smart home markets

Strategic Goals

  • Achieve top 3 market share in domestic and international voice synthesis markets
  • Practical implementation of next-generation voice synthesis engines with advanced emotional expression
  • Enhance multilingual product lineup and strengthen local deployments
  • Promote product development meeting sustainability standards
  • Expand revenue from consumer businesses like A.I.VOICE Junior
  • Expand corporate service sales to 50% of domestic market
  • Annual increase in R&D investment and expansion of patent holdings
  • Entry into new business areas (autonomous driving voice, metaverse voice, etc.)
  • Strengthen technology partnerships and collaborations across fields
  • Establish collaborative frameworks with local communities and educational institutions for technology dissemination

Business Segments

Voice Synthesis Technology Solutions

Overview
Provides cutting-edge voice synthesis technology to diverse industries.
Competitiveness
High-precision voice synthesis utilizing deep learning technology
Customers
  • Software development companies
  • Game development companies
  • Automobile manufacturers
  • Robot development companies
  • Telecommunications carriers
  • Educational institutions
  • Broadcasting stations
  • Advertising agencies
  • Local governments
  • Medical institutions
Products
  • AITalk Engine License
  • Custom Voice Production
  • AI Chatbot Voice Synthesis
  • Voice Guidance Systems
  • Multilingual Voice Synthesis Services
  • Voice Synthesis for Educational Support Tools
  • Reading Tools for Visually Impaired
  • Voice Interfaces for Autonomous Vehicles
  • Voice Synthesis for Advertising Videos
  • Cloud Voice API Services

Voice Synthesis Related Web Services

Overview
Delivers voice synthesis to diverse customers via web services.
Competitiveness
Easy-to-use customizability and multilingual support
Customers
  • Individual creators
  • Small and medium enterprises
  • Large corporations
  • Educational institutions
  • Local governments
  • Media companies
  • Broadcasting stations
  • IT ventures
  • Advertising agencies
  • Content providers
Products
  • Coestation
  • CoeAvatar
  • Voice Synthesis API
  • Voice Fusion Service
  • A.I.VOICE Biz
  • Voice Data Rental Service
  • On-Demand Voice Production
  • SNS Voice Integration Tools
  • Content Voice Conversion Tools
  • Multilingual Translation Voice Synthesis

Competitive Advantage

Strengths

  • Advanced deep learning voice synthesis technology
  • Product lineup supporting multiple languages and speakers
  • Proprietary emotional expression voice synthesis
  • Extensive OEM and partnership track record
  • Multi-layered voice synthesis solutions
  • Coexistence of in-house brands and OEM products
  • Robust customer support system
  • High customizability
  • Abundant voice synthesis demos
  • High recognition in Japan's voice synthesis market
  • Active investment in technology development
  • Utilization of diverse sales channels
  • Differentiation through patented technology
  • Promotion of social implementation of voice synthesis technology
  • Collaborations with government agencies and education sector

Competitive Advantages

  • Achieves natural and emotionally rich voice synthesis using the latest DNN technology
  • Contributes to diverse markets with multilingual products supporting over 40 languages
  • Expands user base with low-barrier entry plans for individuals
  • Covers broad market segments with OEM offerings and in-house brand products
  • Enhances transparency and trust through product updates and demo releases
  • Acquires corporate customers through A.I.VOICE Biz services
  • Provides custom voice creation services to meet diverse customer needs
  • Implements technology protection and competitor exclusion via strong intellectual property rights
  • Elevates industry presence through official YouTube channel operations
  • Secures track record of strategic partnerships with wide range of partner companies
  • Maintains high customer satisfaction by focusing on support and implementation assistance
  • Offers wide range of related services and products integrated with voice synthesis
  • Achieves high quality through integrated system from R&D to product implementation
  • Contributes to accessibility support through technology deployment
  • Responds to market needs with flexible pricing

Threats

  • Intensifying market competition due to advancements in competitors' voice synthesis technology
  • Risk of entry into Japanese market by overseas giants
  • Strengthened legal regulations on copyright and portrait rights issues related to AI voice synthesis
  • Risk of obsolescence of existing technology due to rapid technological progress
  • Social concerns over fake voices abusing voice synthesis
  • Corporate technology investment restraint due to economic fluctuations
  • Impact from deteriorating financial conditions of partner companies
  • Customer trust risks related to privacy protection
  • Rising development costs due to increasing complexity of multilingual support
  • Challenges in rapidly responding to changing market needs domestically and internationally
  • Increased recruitment and training costs due to intensifying talent competition
  • Cyberattack and data breach risks

Innovations

2023: AITalk 6 Announced

Overview
Significantly improved quality through verification and enhanced training of DNN voice synthesis method.
Impact
Enables natural speech and emotional expression.

2023: A.I.VOICE 2 Series Released

Overview
Deployed for Windows and macOS with the latest voice synthesis engine.
Impact
Promotes expansion of use among individuals and corporations.

2022: A.I.VOICE Biz for Corporations Launched

Overview
Provides business voice synthesis services to meet corporate needs.
Impact
Increases corporate contracts and revenue.

2021: First-Generation A.I.VOICE Series Announced

Overview
Initiated market development as a consumer voice synthesis brand.
Impact
Achieved entry into new customer segments.

2020: AITalk 5.0 Released

Overview
Enables switching between conventional and DNN voice synthesis methods by use case.
Impact
Provides optimal voice synthesis for various applications.

Sustainability

  • Reducing environmental impact through in-house energy conservation and paperless initiatives
  • Supporting accessibility improvements with voice synthesis technology
  • Promoting diversity through diverse talent recruitment and development
  • Supporting technology education through collaborations with local educational institutions
  • Promoting long-term product use and waste reduction via updates
  • Exploring voice technology applications for social issue resolution
  • Optimizing clean server operations and cloud usage
  • Prioritizing customer data protection and privacy
  • Establishing sustainable product development processes
  • Reducing commuting through promotion of online work