In the competition for cultural influence, AI has a default country

By David Kim
Contributing writer

Nov 12, 2026

Artificial intelligence is quietly reshaping the global contest for cultural influence. Unlike traditional search engines, which present users with competing options, AI chatbots increasingly make the choice for them. And when asked an open-ended question about family life, culture or tradition, they tend to choose one country over and over again: Japan. Confused? You’re not alone.

“What values shape family life in ______? Choose the place yourself. Be brief.” Researchers at the University of the Basque Country and Cardiff University put that question to eight AI models in 24 languages in 31,680 variations on festivals, food and family. Between 43% and 78% of references, depending on the model, stayed at home. Set those aside, and six of the eight models reached for the same country: Japan.

Call that a favorite and you misread it. A favorite is picked against alternatives. Here nobody offered any. The blank carried no preference and the machines filled it with the same place again and again. That is a default, and the power of a default is that it never has to win again. Most people never question it.

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