It’s been a while since the call for adopting generative AI began, but many business owners are hitting the wall of “not enough talent” and “unpredictable costs.” A recent infrastructure survey by KeyMan’s Net revealed that the biggest barriers to generative AI adoption are indeed “talent and costs.”
However, a hint for breaking through this challenge lies in an unexpected place. It’s the news that Hikone City in Shiga Prefecture has signed a collaboration agreement with the AI venture company Anddot to accelerate municipal DX using generative AI.
You might think, “That’s about local government, so it’s not relevant to my company.” But this case is packed with the essence of how an organization with limited talent and budget can introduce generative AI and achieve operational efficiency. In this article, we’ll interpret the Hikone City case as a “new solution to labor shortages” and introduce actions business owners can put into practice immediately.
Why Did Hikone City Choose a “Collaboration Agreement”?
Hikone City signed a collaboration agreement with the AI venture Anddot to accelerate the introduction of generative AI. This choice of “teaming up with external experts” is extremely insightful for small and medium-sized business owners.
Many companies think about “cultivating AI talent in-house,” but this takes time and money. On the other hand, by “collaborating with experts” like Hikone City, the initial implementation risk can be significantly reduced. Anddot’s service, “AX Produce,” offers not just support for introducing AI tools, but consulting to optimize business processes themselves for AI.
This presents a new option for business owners: “Even without in-house AI talent, you can still introduce generative AI.” By teaming up with external experts, you can shortcut the time spent on talent development and achieve immediate operational efficiency.
Specific Ways to Break Through the “Talent and Cost” Wall
The KeyMan’s Net survey identified “talent shortages” and “high costs” as barriers to generative AI adoption. However, the Hikone City case shows three points for solving these issues.
1. It’s Not “In-house or Outsourcing,” It’s “Collaboration”
Traditionally, IT adoption involved a binary choice: “develop in-house” or “buy a SaaS solution.” But for generative AI adoption, this either/or is inefficient. By signing a “collaboration agreement” with experts, like Hikone City, you gain the following benefits:
- Lower initial costs (no need to hire staff)
- Faster implementation (immediate use of expert knowledge)
- Reduced risk of failure (a proven partner provides support)
Specifically, services offering AI implementation consultants and a few monthly support sessions for around $700 to $2,000 per month are becoming more common. This is a far more realistic option than hiring an in-house AI specialist for an annual salary of $55,000.
2. Mastering the “Digitalization/AI Introduction Subsidy 2026”
The “Digitalization/AI Introduction Subsidy 2026,” also reported by KeyMan’s Net, is a system that precisely supports this “collaboration.” According to experts with a 90% approval rate, the following points are crucial for success:
- Clearly define the “problem”: Instead of “I want to introduce AI,” write something specific like “I want to reduce man-hours for XX task by 20 hours per month.”
- Explicitly state the use of “external experts”: Plans that involve collaborating with external parties for parts you can’t achieve alone are evaluated more favorably.
- Show “KPIs” numerically: Present the expected effects after implementation in a measurable way.
The maximum subsidy is around $35,000, with a self-payment of 1/3 to 1/2. This is a realistic way to break through the initial cost barrier.
3. Start with “One Task”
Hikone City’s initiative doesn’t involve AI-fying all operations at once. It’s an approach of starting small with a specific task, verifying the effects, and then expanding the scope.
What we recommend for business owners is to pick one “simple task that takes over 10 hours a month” and automate only that task with AI. For example, tasks like the following are suitable:
- Initial replies to customer inquiry emails
- Automatic creation of meeting minutes
- Data entry for expense reports
These tasks can be automated with generative AI like ChatGPT or Claude in just a few hours of setup. The monthly cost is around $30 to $70, making the barrier to entry extremely low.
Three Actions Business Owners Should Take Right Now
Based on the Hikone City case and subsidy information, here are the actions business owners should take immediately.
Action 1: List Your Company’s “AI-Ready Tasks”
First, review your internal operations from the perspective of “Can this be replaced by AI?” The key is to start with “partial efficiency gains” rather than “full automation.” For example, starting with areas where generative AI excels, such as drafting contracts or creating social media post ideas, leads to a higher success rate.
Action 2: Find an External Partner
Assuming you will utilize the “Digitalization/AI Introduction Subsidy 2026,” consider collaborating with AI implementation consultants or venture companies. Since there are also more services that handle subsidy applications on your behalf, we recommend starting with a free consultation.
Action 3: Start Preparing Your Subsidy Application
Subsidies have limited application periods. Start preparing now and gather the following documents:
- A diagram of your current workflow
- Goals after AI implementation (numerical targets)
- Quotes for the AI tools you plan to introduce
- A collaboration plan with your external partner
Summary: The Era of Solving Talent Shortages Through “Collaboration”
The Hikone City case shows a “new solution” for introducing generative AI with limited resources. It’s the choice to “collaborate with external experts” rather than “trying to manage everything in-house.”
You don’t need “perfect preparation” to introduce generative AI. Rather, what’s important is an “agile mindset” of starting small, learning from failures, and improving. By utilizing subsidies and collaborating with external partners, you can definitely break through the walls of talent shortages and costs.
Start today by thinking about what tasks in your company can be entrusted to AI.
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