Death from overwork: AI app pitches solution to Japan’s ‘karoshi’ problem

It’s Friday, and you know what that means! That’s right — it’s time to talk about working yourself to death.

It’s a fate we could all face. Take your humble writer, forced to slave away his Friday at a battered keyboard, squeezing out my last words like a lemon that’s been thrown to hordes of starving rats (love you, boss).

It’s a tough life, I know — thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. But at least I’m not in Japan.

In the Land of the Rising Sun, overwork death is so common that it has a special name: karoshi.

The demise often arrives after a heart attack or stroke. There’s also a cheerful cause of death called “karojisatsu” — overwork suicide.

It’s a big problem with a simple solution: working less. Unfortunately, that’s not always on offer.

Japan’s labour reforms have been limited and union power has waned. Spared of obligations, corporate overlords have rarely pushed for lighter workloads. Shocking, I know.

With support in short supply, stress management is often the only recourse. Naturally, there’s an app for that. And, of course, it uses AI.

AI takes on karoshi

The system is the brainchild of syd.life, a startup based in London. Imaginatively named “AI Life Quality,” the tech blends LLMs and natural language processing to probe scientific data for insights on life quality.

According to syd.life, over 1 million peer-reviewed papers have already been analysed. The findings are crafted into personalised recommendations.

Research suggests the approach works. After tests with NHS staff, 16% of workers reported reduced anxiety, 12% decreased clinical depression, and 14% less stress.

These impacts impressed the Koshida Corporation, one of Japan’s largest IT distributors. The company has partnered with syd.life to prescribe a dose of AI Life Quality.

Over the next five years, Koshida plans to provide the tech to more than 7 million members.

It’s a big number, for sure, but syd.life wants many more. By the end of the decade, the startup aims to have 1 billion members.

A noble goal, perhaps, and one that may reduce karoshi across the world. Sure, we could just work less, but who has time for that?

Not me, unfortunately. The weekend is approaching, but there’s still work to do. I’ve fallen behind after spending too much time treating my stress with apps.