Experience the future of business at Rakuten AI Optimism 2025

Rakuten’s flagship conference is back this summer – and it’s turning a new page. Now in its sixth year, the event is changing its name and shifting focus to one of the most transformative forces in modern business: artificial intelligence.

Rakuten AI Optimism 2025 will run from July 30 to August 1 at Pacifico Yokohama. Free to attend with registration, the three-day event will host a diverse roster of speakers from Japan and around the globe, and give visitors a chance to experience for themselves how Rakuten is employing AI tech in business.

AI-nization in action

Rakuten has positioned AI as a foundational part of its business strategy going forward. Under the AI-nization initiative, Rakutenians are looking to leverage AI tech to transform operations, services, and user experiences across Rakuten’s diverse business portfolio. It’s a strategy that looks to make advanced AI tools not just useful, but available to all, empowering both consumers and businesses with new capabilities.

This ambition will be on full display at Rakuten AI Optimism 2025, where visitors will be treated to a firsthand look at AI-nization in action. Under the theme of “Discover Rakuten AI,” the Rakuten AI booth will showcase a range of technologies designed to integrate seamlessly into daily life and work. Among the highlights: an interactive demo featuring an agent that can interpret facial expressions and clothing styles to suggest personalized shopping recommendations from around the Rakuten Group.

Other exhibits will offer a more in-depth look at how AI is being applied across the Rakuten Ecosystem. Rakuten Mobile will demonstrate a new AI customer service avatar, alongside the AI-driven Phantas IRIS EDITION – a commercial cleaning robot equipped with advanced navigation and task capabilities. Fans of Rakuten’s beloved Okaimono Panda will also be pleased to see their favorite mascot make an appearance in the form of a giant gacha machine.

Rakuten Travel, meanwhile, will demonstrate an AI concierge capable of tailoring hotel recommendations based on individual travelers’ preferences. Hotel operators on the platform can experience how AI can support them with tasks such as generating personalized accommodation packages.

Rakuten Securities will exhibit another take on AI personalization, with an AI avatar that can provide financial tips for individual investors through natural-language conversation, enhanced with immersive XR visualizations.

The conference will also be the first opportunity for many clients to get a look at a new offering from Rakuten Safety Signage. The high-tech in-store signage solution combines AI-powered cameras with digital signage to both display targeted marketing content to individual customers, and deter potential shoplifting activity.

Finally, the Athletic Lab by Rakuten will offer a glimpse into the future of AI in sports. Visitors can test their form in activities like batting and shooting, with real-time AI feedback and direct comparisons with professional athletes. A new fan experience platform will also showcase AI-powered spectating features like real-time predictive insights and live player data overlays.

Insider insights from star speakers

The conference will open with a keynote from Rakuten Group Chairman and CEO Mickey Mikitani, followed by sessions involving a diverse range of industry figures with unique insights into the latest AI trends.

Founder and CEO of ride-hailing giant Careem Mudassir Sheikha is scheduled to join the event, along with Google Japan President Shinji Okuyama and Hakuhodo Design CEO Kazufumi Nagai. Returning to the Optimism stage will be Creative Director Kashiwa Sato, Miyoko Nakashima of Mizuho Securities, and Rakuten Group CMO Naho Kono.

This year’s event will be about more than just showcasing new products, Kono remarked.

“By experiencing the future that AI brings firsthand, we hope that attendees will feel optimistic about a better future and be inspired to take a positive step forward,” she said. “Together with you, we will contribute to the realization of a richer and more sustainable society.”

All sessions will feature AI-powered real-time subtitles in both English and Japanese.

Special session with a soccer superstar

The event will also play host to a special guest: World Cup champion and former Vissel Kobe captain Andres Iniesta, a longtime Rakuten partner and icon of both FC Barcelona and Vissel Kobe.

To celebrate the occasion, Rakuten is giving away thirty pairs of tickets to the Vissel Kobe 30th Anniversary Charity Match taking place on August 2 at Noevir Stadium, which will feature global legends of the team’s past and present face off against the team’s local stars.

More than just a new name

As AI reshapes entire industries and our very society, Rakuten AI Optimism 2025 is putting it at the heart of the conversation. The name change is about more than just two little letters; the new format is a reflection of how AI is evolving from the concept stage to a core part of real business infrastructure.

For businesses looking to stay ahead – and for individuals curious about what’s on the horizon – Rakuten AI Optimism will be a rare opportunity to experience the bleeding edge of AI tech in actual business, and meet the people building it.

Free registration is now open on the official website, and more information on speakers and sessions schedules will be available in the coming weeks.