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Debugging democracy.

The article focuses on Anno Takahiro, a software engineer and science-fiction writer, and his transition from writing speculative stories about AI-driven performance optimization to founding a political startup in Japan. Topics include the influence of technology and software-development thinking on...

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Published in:Economist Vol. 459; no. 9499; p. 37
Format: Article
Published: Economist Newspaper Limited 5/16/2026
Subjects:
Japan
Political movements
Artificial intelligence
Optimism
Software engineering
Speculative fiction
Optimization algorithms
New business enterprises
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Summary:The article focuses on Anno Takahiro, a software engineer and science-fiction writer, and his transition from writing speculative stories about AI-driven performance optimization to founding a political startup in Japan. Topics include the influence of technology and software-development thinking on modern politics, the creation of his techno-optimist political movement Team Future (Mirai), and the broader blending of artificial intelligence concepts with athletic.