{"rewrite":{"id":"r_6759d8634c31f7c1c1dfda88","clusterId":"c_1f5f9411bb871da334b91ca2","slug":"shutoko-heavy-ai-users-grow-10-fold-in-one-year","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Shutoko Heavy AI Users Grow 10-Fold in One Year","summary":"Metropolitan Expressway, known as Shutoko, saw its heavy AI users grow from 22 to 224 in one year. Deputy Section Manager Yuya Suzuki presented the adoption journey at Google Cloud Next Tokyo 26. The turning point came with Google Workspace pricing changes and Gemini Notebook, formerly NotebookLM. Early video training efforts stumbled before steady measures took hold.","whyItMatters":"A conservative, safety-first infrastructure operator with an average employee age of 43.9 grew heavy AI use 10-fold, showing adoption is possible without a young, IT-native workforce.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eShutoko is not an IT company. It builds and runs urban expressways in Tokyo, including the Rainbow Bridge and Yamate Tunnel, and it was privatized in 2005 after operating as a public corporation. The DX Promotion Office was set up in 2021, but annual employee surveys kept returning the same complaint: DX is important in principle, but staff could not feel a personal benefit.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe shift began when new Google Workspace pricing arrived alongside Gemini Notebook, the tool formerly called NotebookLM. Video training did not work. What did was steady, practical measures that resonated with non-IT staff. The number of employees using Gemini more than 100 times per month climbed from 22 to 224 over one year.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSuzuki presented the case at Google Cloud Next Tokyo 26 at the end of July 2026. The company still faces the cultural reality of prioritizing safety and security, where change does not come easily.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Shutoko's heavy AI user count went from 22 to 224 in a year, but the adoption lever was pricing and Gemini Notebook, not training. Early video lessons flopped; the steady measures worked.","twitterPost":"Shutoko's heavy AI users grew 10x in a year, driven by pricing changes and Gemini Notebook, not by early video training that stumbled.","threadsPost":"Shutoko's heavy AI users jumped from 22 to 224 in a year. The lever wasn't flashy training: early video efforts stumbled. What worked was mundane, steady measures plus Google Workspace pricing changes and Gemini Notebook.","newsletterBlurb":"Tokyo's Metropolitan Expressway, or Shutoko, grew its heavy AI users from 22 to 224 in a year. The operator, with an average employee age of 43.9 and a safety-first culture, found traction with Gemini Notebook after video training fell flat. Deputy Section Manager Yuya Suzuki presented the case at Google Cloud Next Tokyo 26.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"ASCII.jp\",\"url\":\"https://ascii.jp/elem/000/004/427/4427588/?rss\",\"title\":\"Metropolitan Expressway increases \\\"heavy AI users\\\" 10-fold in one year: Gemini Notebook and \\\"down-to-earth\\\" adoption tactics that resonated with non-IT staff\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4384,"outputTokens":659,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1787939876,"createdAt":"2026-08-28T17:50:42.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-28T17:51:45.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-28T17:50:42.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_1f5f9411bb871da334b91ca2","canonicalTitle":"首都高が「AIの高利用者」を1年で10倍に　非IT人材に刺さったGemini Notebookと“泥臭い”浸透策","representativeArticleId":"a_2a63feb9a286c7a2d69ad2bb","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"other\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-24T00:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-24T00:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-28T17:51:45.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"ASCII.jp","url":"https://ascii.jp/elem/000/004/427/4427588/?rss","title":"首都高が「AIの高利用者」を1年で10倍に　非IT人材に刺さったGemini Notebookと“泥臭い”浸透策"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"other","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}