Yasushi Akimoto, the mastermind behind countless J-pop hits and the general producer of AKB48 and its sister groups, is a name synonymous with Japanese entertainment.
On today's (September 15) NTV special, "Yasushi Akimoto × AI Yasushi Akimoto ~AKB48 New Song Production Battle~," Akimoto faced off against "AI Akimoto," an AI trained on his own creative patterns. This bizarre segment grabbed serious online attention, especially after the utterly chaotic results. 
To celebrate AKB48's 20th anniversary, the show cooked up an unprecedented challenge: Akimoto himself and AI Akimoto would each go through the entire production process—lyrics, composition, member selection, and choosing the center—culminating in two brand-new songs. The ultimate winner would be decided by anonymous audience votes.
The two tracks, "Cecil" and "Omoide Scroll" (Memory Scroll), were open for public voting until September 7th. The losing song? Straight to the vault, never to be heard again.
AI Akimoto was powered by Google's AI assistant, Gemini. It devoured all of Akimoto's past lyrics, essays, and interviews, ultimately distilling his creative essence into a "formula for moving hearts."
When the results were revealed, Akimoto's creation was "Cecil," inspired by the popular "Cecil hairstyle" of the 60s and 70s, telling a story of women admiring women. AI Akimoto, on the other hand, delivered "Omoide Scroll," a fresh take on a heartbreak anthem perfectly suited for the Reiwa era.
The votes were tallied: "Cecil" garnered 10,535 votes, while "Omoide Scroll" triumphed with a whopping 14,225 votes! AI Akimoto actually won! Rino Sashihara shrieked on the spot, "No way! Seriously?!" Akimoto himself could only manage a wry smile, "What am I supposed to do with this reaction? I'm so frustrated, I poured my heart into that!"
Then, in a truly "thoughtful" moment, AI Akimoto offered its "consolation": "AI excels at finding the safest answers from past data. Perhaps the real Yasushi Akimoto wanted to challenge something new this time, which is why he lost." Akimoto, clearly fed up, immediately snapped back, "Shut up!" sending the entire studio into hysterics.
It's genuinely astonishing how powerful AI has become. It can now go head-to-head with real lyricists and producers, even crafting songs that resonate more with fans. Who knows, maybe one day, we'll truly entrust all music lyric and composition to AI to churn out captivating tunes.