NABC Store Manager Diary — August 17, 2026 (Mon): Day Off

The shop is open every Monday, but I'm off. On my way to the municipal pool, I hurriedly read the stack of library books I needed to return (they'd piled up), but while watching recorded TV shows I had accumulated, there was an interesting program about using AI. Speaking of which, this Zindies is also being developed by our member Jizō, and from what I hear they're using AI to develop various menu items. It's been about a year since Zindies development started, and even in that short time AI has progressed tremendously. For example, things I casually suggested like "Could we do something like this?" can now be created using AI without much human effort. I'm not a programmer, but I wondered whether I could have AI do the tedious or difficult parts of my current work. First, I had AI write publicity copy for events and social media posts. If I only used the information registered for the Zindies event, the copy came out thin and unsatisfying (and since I was the one who created the original information, maybe the problem is how I make flyers). So I instructed the AI to look up the instructor's social media and other online information in detail, and it produced much better text. Still, it sometimes feels a bit "AI-y." But I think it's better than my writing, so I had it create posts tailored to X, Instagram, and Facebook and posted them. The responses after posting were so-so. It doesn't seem to have led to many actual event registrations yet. Next, I had the AI research organizations where potential attendees might belong, list their social accounts and email addresses, and draft messages. It even came up with different opening lines for each organization, so I used those and actually sent messages to a few places. I wonder what kinds of responses we'll get. One more thing: I asked the AI to list ZINE candidates that might be good for our shop to stock. The criteria were that they be from Aichi Prefecture, created or sold within the past year, and preferably ones that sell well. It produced quite an interesting list of works and creators, so I'll research them carefully before negotiating purchases. By the way, I recently bought 'Bungaku Flea Market Story: Why Are People Fascinated by Creating?' by Sabara Suzuki (鈴木沙巴良), published by Wedge, and I'm reading it bit by bit. I should study properly. We'll be exhibiting as Zindies at the Tokyo Bungaku Flea Market on November 8, so look forward to it!