Hokkaido Chuo Bus begun offering AI-powered voice guide system, which was developed jointly by TISI, for regular sightseeing bus from/to Sapporo Station touring Shiretoko Lake and Toya Lake on November 4 2026. English, Chinese and Korean are available for the voice-guide.
From December 1 2026, the service will be offered on the sightseeing routes in Sapporo City.
This service integrates generative AI-powered audio guides with GPS to provide multilingual information about tourist attractions and other points of interest visible from the bus windows as it travels. Hokkaido Chuo Bus aims to use this system to better accommodate international visitors, enhance the value of the sightseeing experience, and streamline its guide operations.
Operators simply enter Japanese text into a dedicated editing interface, and the generative AI then handles translation and speech synthesis to create multilingual guide pages. The system includes a preview feature, allowing operators to review the content before it goes live. They can also choose from a variety of templates tailored to different use cases, such as regional sightseeing tours or mobility-based services.
Tourists do not need to install a dedicated app. They can access the service by scanning a 2D barcode with their own smartphones.
The AI-based solution reduces maintenance costs by over 70% and initial implementation costs by more than 80%, according to the developers.
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