FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

This is not about "future AI" in the sense of future technology, but rather I named it this way because I feel our project—my mother's and mine—represents an experience one generation ahead. In other words, it can be used to imagine how we will age alongside AI. This approach can be applied not only to elderly people but also to supporting people with disabilities or illnesses.

Because I handled everything consistently from ethics and welfare philosophy to implementation and UI/UX. Also, the combination of my mother, who is a "human resource" with over 55 years since receiving university education and majoring in Japanese literature, and myself, who has experience as an assistant center manager at a call center handling company-wide operations and self-studied philosophy and children's literature, is rare. Therefore, I want to record primary sources and contribute to the public good.

My mother has been using iPad 2 since June 2011. She started using smartphones in 2018. She belongs to a generation with a digital divide. However, she began learning AI in May 2023 and started digital transformation in summer 2023. Through risk management and thorough rule enforcement, she was able to avoid internet and phone fraud as well as theft troubles in town. Having verified this over two years, I believe it has value to share with everyone.

Because issues related to ethics, welfare, elderly people, and digital divide involve human lives, I want to make it as easy as possible for others to reuse, research, and analyze. Think about it: if I published this as an e-book, how many people would pick it up?

I have published primary source photos and my mother's writings. My writing style, rhythm, flavor, perspective, and information are all different from hers. The photos likely capture perspectives that I wouldn't notice.

Next, if you sign a confidentiality agreement and either have your Japanese lawyer representative or come to Kanagawa Prefecture yourself, I cannot tell you my mother's home address, but it would be possible for her to talk for 15 minutes in a park with her current physical strength. It would be easier for university students in Kanagawa Prefecture or Tokyo, Japan to verify this. However, since my father died by suicide, I cannot disclose real names.

My mother and I live in separate houses with different IP addresses. Even if my mother didn't exist, since my mother made the contract with the internet provider, it would be difficult to fake this.

There are comments from WingArc1st, and I have clearly indicated the URL for verification.

There was a period when Japan had 30,000 suicide deaths per year. My father was one of them. In Japan, with its high social conformity pressure, when I engage in advocacy activities as a suicide survivor, I need to protect my mother's privacy from others' curiosity, so both of us use pen names.

I combine two smartphones, an iPad, and AI to provide support that "translates" modern society so that my mother can take responsibility for herself.

I used Galaxy A23 5G and AQUOS wish 2 for two years, and currently the main devices are two refurbished Google Pixel 7a units in excellent condition, iPad 10th generation, and Kindle Paperwhite.

The essential settings are:
1. Recommend carrying two smartphones
2. Decide on usage purposes
3. For outdoor use, focus on barcode payment apps, Suica, GO, etc.
4. For home use, use as ATM, radio, and small TV terminal for peace of mind (Wi-Fi operation is fine, but budget SIM is also recommended for emergency communication)
5. Recommend iPad Wi-Fi model. SMS definitely won't reach it
6. Don't buy expensive smartphones; in 2023, Galaxy A23 5G or AQUOS wish 2, now refurbished Google Pixel 7a is sufficiently comfortable
7. Reason: For outdoor use, to avoid resistance during theft leading to falls, fractures, and care needs, assume it will be stolen
8. For screen locks, if possible, memorize an "alphanumeric password of over ten digits" instead of "PIN" to delay thieves
9. Use "Reset device to factory settings" from Android.com/find

I recommend definitely using iPad's AssistiveTouch for home buttons, screenshots, and restarts. https://support.apple.com/guide/ipad/ipad9a2466d3/ipados

In short, "our policy is to reduce contact points with scammers to prevent fraud damage."

• Never answer calls from unregistered numbers
• Don't use voicemail, so even smooth talkers can't do anything
• Numbers are displayed, so if my mother is curious, she can note it down and ask paid AI, which will tell her things like "Transfer phone abuse has been reported in that area," so she doesn't have to worry alone
• When craftsmen or others need temporary phone contact, they give business cards when I explain the situation, so I verify with those cards before answering
• My mother has no use for SMS. It's used for authentication. So I taught her that she "doesn't need to look at it" and should never open URLs
• I regularly check SMS without forwarding it
• Don't check email on smartphones. LINE is sufficient when outdoors. At home, there are banking apps, etc.
• Check email on iPad Wi-Fi model using Gmail. Even if spam mail breaks through filters, there's no financial information, reducing phishing fraud risk. Also, she can consult AI about "this kind of email came." Of course, I'm there too
• The retired Galaxy A23 5G works as a small iPad on Wi-Fi. Of course, no financial information
• And if smartphone is lost: "Reset device to factory settings" + disable SIM (eSIM)

Since my mother was tired of checking information sources and dealing with noise, I used RSS, focusing mainly on NHK for domestic Japan and arranging for diversified information sources overseas. By using API AI, I can sort by importance and avoid overwhelming her with too much information. As a result, I can create a whitelist link collection that protects my mother from fake news and anxiety-inducing information.

The program itself is published under MIT License. https://github.com/trgr-karasutoragara/daily-news-for-digital-dignity/blob/main/trgr_post_with_ai.py

Management is easy. I could just give orders and take away my mother's freedom. But isn't living without being able to protect freedom and dignity just suffering? I created a new welfare prototype using information, technology, and ethics.

Same as above. Children and healthy adults who graduated from university over half a century ago are different. I cannot recommend treating adults like teaching children from the perspectives of responsibility, ethics, and courtesy. Therefore, I make suggestions.

Instead of choosing the resignation of "there's nothing we can do because they're elderly," I aim for improvement through technology, services, and ethics. That's why this is coexistence with the digital divide. I believe that my mother's time should not be spent overcoming the digital divide itself, so I made it easier for her to ask AI questions.

In short, it means reducing the probability and duration of freedom being restricted due to needing care.

My mother and I are both patient with each other, and my mother and I have the philosophy and trust to discuss my mother's death with peace of mind. So there may be things that are difficult for others. However, if you realize it's "possible," you can improve. Since I'm publishing a complete framework from philosophy to source code, it can be applied.

In other words, it's the ingenuity of creating an invisible "wheelchair" for yourself, so it can be applied to anyone. For example, stress reduction, dealing with information overload, and self-defense against fraud.

You need the will to buy macOS or download Ubuntu, install it via USB, and create a development environment, and be able to use at least ChatGPT or Claude Sonnet 4's $20 monthly plan in combination with Gemini 2.5 Pro from https://aistudio.google.com/. AI probabilistically causes hallucinations. Manually checking responses is inefficient. Having equivalent-performance products from other companies fact-check AI responses themselves makes it easier to find hallucinations, because it's rare for both AIs to hallucinate simultaneously.

Also, anger management, patience, and preferably experience as a call center supervisor or higher is advantageous. Philosophy, history, literature, psychology, and ethics are also important. Particularly, ethics becomes a weapon when judging unprecedented situations.

AI's $20 monthly fee, internet connection, electricity, and having smartphones, iPad, and a PC or Chromebook would be good. If you use programs, I recommend Ubuntu. Mac and Windows are also good products, but the cost will be higher.

The time for the supporter to spend 90 minutes providing remote support through LINE voice calls and screenshot exchanges. Of course, sometimes 30 minutes is sufficient.

The key is how to establish a habit of asking AI questions and create a system where humans can make high-level ethical judgments and take responsibility for things only humans can do. Therefore, this project should significantly save your time investment. I built this from scratch.

As of July 1, 2025, it should be publishable within 3 days at the latest. If delayed, I will make corrections.

I consistently empowered a 77-year-old from ethical theory to implementation. As an AI utilization case study, it has over two years of track record.

In the range of AI ethics papers I have read, I believe there are few in the welfare field. Of course, I haven't read all papers. That's why I'm publishing under MIT License so everyone can verify.

My mother will age and decline. So I am considering combinations like ceiling-projection projectors and computers. However, since my mother's will and freedom are important, I prioritize her wishes. My belief is that humans should be central, not technology.

It can be applied not only to people with illnesses or disabilities, but also to healthy people who have anxiety or stress.

Also, AI can run on a 70,000 yen mini PC with Ollama and Gemma. This is dramatic progress compared to 2023. People in regions with unstable infrastructure and other difficulties can run AI in local environments if they can secure computational resources and power. Therefore, this project has the potential to contribute to people for whom using paid AI is difficult.

When the person receiving support doesn't want it. Also, there will be limitations with highly specialized sensitive issues.

That my strengths are what make this work. Being person-dependent doesn't scale. Specifically, since individuals handle multiple fields interdisciplinarily, research by specialists is also essential. This provides a "pass" for frontier possibilities. In other words, specialists can decide the goals. Or I'll be happy if you become happy.

I designed it so it's safe even if my mother makes mistakes. Therefore, no fatal errors have occurred. However, intensive support can sometimes burden my mother. I'm exploring how to avoid "teaching too much."

For example, I can access my mother's Google account so I can respond when my mother's smartphone is lost or stolen. This is only to use Android.com/find; I don't do things like reading Gmail. Also, since I sometimes handle data when supporting my mother at her request, I make sure not to cause information leaks. Using pen names is also important for privacy protection.

In the medical sense, I do this while reporting to my mother's primary physician. I don't force anything medically unreasonable. In terms of "consent," since information is asymmetric, I clearly indicate risks to my mother.

Please follow MIT License and the rules of GitHub and Academia.edu. Also, since I live in Japan, I follow Japanese laws and constitution.

I value ethics like deontology and utilitarianism, as well as my faith as a Protestant believer. Since I have no degree or affiliation, I apologize if I am ignorant about customs in academia, engineering, or welfare fields. In the sense of doing my best, I call this "best effort."

Things that were impossible before AI due to budget, personnel, and technology limitations no longer need to be given up on.

No. I am an independent volunteer with no conflicts of interest.

By providing a framework for how to safely utilize AI, I can contribute to AI ethics and the digital divide. It will become easier to imagine the option of coexistence like my mother's.

Since this is in urban Japan with good security, there will be difficulties in environments that are not like this. However, it can be applied by performing cultural translation using abstract ideals and my concrete examples as hints.

My mother's paternal grandfather, my great-grandfather, emphasized education, and this is our family culture. Also, because I had a difficult life, I had the opportunity and motivation to study philosophy. And when I worked at a call center during Japan's e-commerce dawn in my youth, I gained practical experience and understood that intelligence and tool usage have a "correlation" but not a "causal relationship." If someone doesn't know how to use "stones" or "fire," I can teach them or devise ways.

My younger sibling has severe disabilities and requires medical care, and my mother was supporting that sibling. Giving my mother an iPad 2 in June 2011 meant that even my mother, who couldn't take time to learn PCs, could use this. I later upgraded to iPad Air 2, and she currently uses iPad 10th generation. Three units in 14 years shows my mother takes good care of things. She started using smartphones in 2018, using them mainly as cameras, with full utilization beginning with DX in summer 2023.

Since she supported family until just before age 70, I feel responsible for supporting her freedom in old age.

Until my mother could ask AI questions herself, I endured the following:

• Even when I made manuals for my mother, she couldn't utilize them
• She forgot what I taught her
• Dealing with memorization of concepts and proper nouns
• Being asked about things that either AI or I could do because I was convenient
• My mother is a polite and ethical person, but because it's outside her expertise and there's a digital divide, it feels abstract and she doesn't understand the value of my contribution (it takes time to convince her)

Getting angry is easy, but I was conscious of making professional and ethical choices.

Since I serve as "son," "supporter," and "system administrator," I made sure not to criticize my mother for approaching all roles as "son." I think the more flexible generation should adapt. So although we sometimes have parent-child arguments, I acted by thinking with psychology's boundary concepts and ethics.