Yasuo Kuniyoshi
Professor
Graduate School of Information Science and Techology, The University of Tokyo

The open call for the Special Subject “Co-Creating New Society with Advanced Technologies” which began in 2018, marks its seventh year this fiscal year. The individual research framework, established to support more exploratory challenges, has now reached its third year. The program has supported projects involving various cutting-edge digital technologies, including augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) for creating virtual spaces, blockchain for decentralized autonomous organizations (DAO), and, more recently, generative artificial intelligence (AI). As digital technologies continue to evolve at an astonishing pace, various issues have emerged, including ethical concerns in the digital space, delays in legislation, the digital divide, and AI hallucinations. This grant program supports motivated projects that effectively address emerging issues stemming from advancements in digital technology and explore the nature of co-creation between humans and advanced technologies.

This year, a total of 50 applications were received, showing a slight increase compared with those in last year. In particular, there were 39 joint research project applications this year (up from 27 last year), making it the second-highest number after the 56 received in the first year. In contrast, the number of individual research projects slightly decreased to 11 (down from 14 last year). As a result, six joint research projects (up from five last year) and three individual research projects (up from two last year) were selected, reflecting an increase in both categories compared with those in the previous year.

Reflecting on this year’s selection process, many outstanding joint research proposals stood out for their well-defined topics and solid implementation plans. However, regarding the topics, there was a noticeable increase in proposals related to generative AI, which is currently a trending topic, resulting in a significant number of similar proposals. Additionally, the research proposals appeared to fall into two distinct categories: those focused on addressing social issues by developing products using generative AI and those centered on interdisciplinary discussions of digital technology issues through seminars. Although each research plan appeared well-structured, addressing the increasingly complex social issues within the theme of co-creation with advanced technology requires integrating these different research approaches. For next year’s call for applications, we look forward to more imaginative and ambitious projects that approach the challenges of cutting-edge digital technologies from multiple perspectives and explore their relationship with society in greater depth than ever before.

It is also important to mention the issues considered in the grant program this year. This program does not provide support for research activities primarily focused on technology development. However, as mentioned earlier, there were several excellent proposals aimed at addressing urgent social issues through product development. Compared with 7 years ago when this program was launched, it is now easier and more affordable to develop apps and similar materials, which can be used to address social issues. Defining "technology development" is becoming increasingly difficult, as many of the methods now used are no longer directly linked to the purchase of physical hardware, as was often the case in the past. Considering these changes in circumstances, it may no longer be necessary to categorically exclude development-related research. To attract a broader range of applications, it is necessary to consider revising the Project Proposal Guidelines for next year.

Below, we introduce one joint research project and one individual research project from the selected projects.

<Joint Research Project>
D24-ST-0039 Shiho Koizumi (Program-Specific Assistant Professor, Program for Education and Research on Science and Technology in Public Sphere (STiPS) Unit, Department of Pharmacoepidemiology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine and Public Health)
“Development of a Social Language Scale for the Introduction of Healthcare AI and Strategies Addressing Its Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues”
This innovative and ambitious research project aims to develop a comprehensive “social language” framework for generative AI bots and robots in the healthcare field. The project is carefully planned with a focus on a wide range of potential applications in the healthcare and welfare sectors, considering the diversity and characteristics of recipients, as well as laying out the discussion of ELSI and policy recommendations.
It is expected to spark insightful discussions on the potential of generative AI in medical linguistic communication.

<Individual Research Project>
D24-ST-0015 Liu Tzuan (Research Associate, Graduate School of Law, Kobe University)
“Regulation of Algorithmic Management in the Labor Context: A Focus on Spanish Law and EU Law.”
The adoption of algorithmic human resource management systems brings many advantages, such as quickly identifying the most suitable roles for individuals, while also raising concerns about risks, such as privacy violations and discrimination. However, in Japan, discussions on these issues have been limited, and legislation remains significantly behind. Building on these circumstances, this study takes on the ambitious challenge of proposing a legal framework suited to Japan’s social context by referencing Spanish and EU laws as advanced case studies.