AI-powered 'Imakokonavi' service created during Kumamoto earthquake

Summary

During the Kumamoto earthquake, a web marketing specialist used artificial intelligence to build 'Imakokonavi,' a real-time, citizen-focused information sharing site, in approximately 3.5 hours. The site reached over 160,000 visitors and more than 50,000 posts, covering a wide range of needs from store operating hours to niche items like reptile food.

Why it matters

This incident demonstrates that AI-assisted development can reduce the deployment time of critical information tools from weeks to hours. This approach fills a gap that official channels are structurally unable to address. From a broader perspective, it offers a repeatable model for a citizen-led disaster information infrastructure that local governments could institutionalize for future emergencies.

Highlights

• A site built in 3.5 hours from a phone in an evacuation shelter using approximately 20 iterative AI prompts
• Over 160,000 visitors, 4,000+ listed locations, and 50,000+ user posts in the first few days
• A distinguishing feature was providing 'niche' information missed by official channels: small bottles of water for the elderly, locations selling reptile food, and childcare points added after the first week

Critical take

The article reads like a single-source promotional piece. The figures cited in the headline (160,000 visitors, 50,000 posts) are unverified. Additionally, the role of 'artificial intelligence' is treated superficially; the 20 prompts used to produce a functional, multi-user platform in 3.5 hours are not explained. Issues such as the risk of misinformation, moderation, and the site's fate after the acute phase ended are also not addressed. These concerns are also raised in other reports by the same ITmedia outlet regarding disaster rumors.