Аннотация:The main purpose of this article is to identify the essence of artificial intelligence (AI), to determine its impact on various aspects of life and to specify the knowledge gained by studying the directions of AI application in one of the most advanced countries - Japan, the world leader in robotics. Main conclusions from the study: important characteristics of the modern approach to the AI phenomenon are: first, the human pattern that once guided and motivated AI research has largely been pushed out of sight; second, this is why certain views on what we should know and do with intelligent machines are gradually emerging; third, there is a growing need to combine the efforts of research institutes in different countries in studying the theoretical aspects of AI. Japan has very good prospects for establishing and developing bilateral AI cooperation with Russia and Kazakhstan.