As bear attacks increase exponentially on the East-Asian archipelago, tech execs are dreaming up a slurry of solutions – from bear-face AI to "dating apps" to robotic wolves. A brown bear walking on the road in Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido (Image: Getty Images)

Boffins have created AI-powered bear facial recognition technology in a bid to tackle a bear attack crisis. Between just April and July this year alone, 55 maulings and three deaths were reported in Japan, as well as thousands of sightings. ‌

The fearsome creatures have been causing bedlam everywhere, from school playgrounds to golf courses to airport landing strips. Last year the numbers were even worse, with 219 attacks and six deaths between March and December 2024, the highest figures in the country’s recorded

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