Caster Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Shota Nakagawa; hereinafter referred to as "Caster") will sequentially transition its online assistant "CASTER BIZ" series to the AI assistant "CASTER NEO" series. As part of this initiative, "CASTER NEO Assistant" will be launched on July 1, 2026. "CASTER NEO Assistant" is an AI assistant service where an AI front end handles incoming work requests via Slack 24/7, and human AI coordinators manage task instructions, progress, and pre-delivery checks. This service enables companies without dedicated AI personnel to improve the efficiency and response speed of their back-office operations through daily work requests. Service site here https://cast-er.com/neo-assistant/ Background for Transitioning to an AI Assistant Amidst a declining labor population and ongoing hiring difficulties, it is becoming challenging to maintain back-office operations solely with "human time and labor." While interest in generative AI and AI agents is growing, simply introducing AI tools does not easily lead to practical application. Developing specialized knowledge and systems for operational design, management, and quality assurance requires significant in-house effort. In response to these challenges, Caster is transitioning its online assistant to an AI assistant by combining the workflow data and operational expertise accumulated from supporting over 6,300 accounts (Note 1) across diverse industries with the latest AI technologies such as Claude. The "CASTER NEO Assistant," to be launched this time, is an evolution of the service into an "AI-Synergistic BPaaS" where a proprietary AI agent handles the initial contact with clients, such as receiving requests and confirming work procedures, aiming for further convenience and quality improvement. Differences Between AI Assistant and Existing Services Traditional BPO and online assistants have primarily offered task delegation and support by humans. On the other hand, LLM