AI Means Love: Celebrating National AI Day Across Cultures

From artists and athletes to activists, the name "Ai" carries a legacy of love, passion, and purpose across cultures.

Grishika Singh April 25, 2025

3 3 minutes read

The Power of a Name That Means Love

You will discover the meaning of this Chinese and Japanese word on April 26 which is National AI Day. Ai signifies love, adoration or affection. Though it is occasionally given to boys in Chinese, the term is almost exclusively used as a female name in Japan. The name is shared by well-known individuals like AI Wei Wei, AI Sugiyama and AI Otsuka and it is used in dozens of video games, cartoons and fantasy characters in Chinese and Japanese media. Although the kanji (Japanese) and hanzi (Chinese) characters are different it is pronounced similarly to the word eye in both cultures.

Background of National AI Day

Chinese activist and artist AI Wei Wei is well-known both in the East and the West for his artistic creations. Wei Wei is persecuted by oppressive government authorities due to his public political activism and the contentious nature of his artwork. He started using social media as a platform for social commentary in 2005. His blog website was shut down in 2009. To the dismay of the Chinese government he switched to Twitter and carried on with his online journaling there. As a result Wei Wei was placed under house arrest in 2010 and then arrested at Beijing Airport in 2011. After being imprisoned for three months for unidentified offenses he was released. Currently living in exile in Portugal, AI Wei Wei continues to be critical of the Chinese Communist Party.

Prior to Roger Federer surpassing her in 2015 Japanese tennis sensation AI Sugiyama held the record for both male and female players in 62 consecutive Grand Slam main-draw appearances. At the age of 17 Sugiyama started playing tennis and faced world number 30 Gigi Fernandez in her Wimbledon debut. She won the U. S. Open and climbed to the top of the WTA rankings during her nearly two-decade career. A. Open in 1999 and 2000 Wimbledon in 2003 and the French Open in 2003. After the Pan-Pacific Open she announced her retirement in 2009 and is currently a tennis instructor in Japan.

The 2003 release of the Japanese singer-songwriter AI Otsuka’s song Sakuranbo made her famous. The musician 39 was a child prodigy who started writing songs in her teens and playing the piano at the age of four. In the early 2000s Otsuka and her former classmate Mami Nishida who had training as nursery teachers began recording and posting music online. They sent demo tapes to studios but to little avail. Due to the success of Sakuranbo Otsuka was signed to Avex Trax, one of the largest record labels in Japan in 2003. Her first album Love Punch was released in 2004 and sold almost 2.00,000 copies in its first week peaking at number three on the Japanese music charts.

Timeline of National AI Day

2003 The U.S. Open

Womens U. S. champion AI Sugiyama defeats Francesca Schiavone of Italy Open.

2004 The Album Tops the Charts

Love Jam, the second album by AI Otsuka is the top-ranked album on the Oricon Weekly J-Pop chart.

2005 The Blogger on Government Policies

AI Wei Wei starts posting his opinions on Chinese government policies on the internet.

2009 The Tennis Professional Retires

AI Sugiyama leaves competitive tennis after almost 20 years as a professional.

Activities for National AI Day

See Some of the Artwork Created by AI Wei Wei

Ai Wei Wei creates murals, sculptures and photographs. Get a sense of the ideas he was attempting to convey by looking at some of his best-known pieces.