NTT Docomo Business trials conversational AI in Aizuwakamatsu with ElevenLabs

NTT Docomo Business, the enterprise solutions arm of one of Japan's largest telecommunications providers, is trialing a voice-based community platform powered by ElevenAgents in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima, with Takeda Health Foundation and the cooperation of Aizuwakamatsu City.

For the company's Generative AI Taskforce, voice quality was the deciding factor in choosing ElevenLabs. “Japanese speech synthesis often sounds stilted,” said Hironori Yoshida of NTT’s taskforce. “With ElevenLabs, the intonation felt remarkably natural, and the emotional expression surprised me.” 

Central to the partnership is CONN, NTT Docomo Business's AI assistant, powered by ElevenAgents. The team is deploying the assistant in the Aizuwakamatsu trial.

In regional healthcare, NTT Docomo Business partnered with Takeda Health Foundation, with the cooperation of Aizuwakamatsu City, on a voice-agent trial in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima. Heavy snow can make it difficult for older residents to leave home in winter. The agent provides local information and everyday conversation. Early user feedback from field trials that began in autumn 2025 was positive.

The team sees potential well beyond any single deployment, from embedding voice AI across NTT Docomo Business's telephony infrastructure to multilingual support for Japan's tourism industry. 

“A new way of delivering trust,” Yoshida said. “It isn't the person's real voice, yet it feels natural and trustworthy. That's something we've never had before.”