Ritsumeikan University Holds Lecture on Career Strategies for the AI Era

and-dot Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Yuta Ibaraki; hereinafter referred to as "and-dot"), which develops the AX Produce business, is pleased to announce that it held a special lecture for students of the College of Information Science and Engineering at Ritsumeikan University, titled "Thinking About Work and Careers in the AI Era." Based on on-site knowledge gained from supporting over 350 companies and 300 local governments with AI, Representative Director Ibaraki took the stage. Through discussions on the actual use of generative AI in companies, systematic skill design using the AI Skill Pyramid®, and group work to discuss job changes 10 years from now, he provided hints for career formation in the AI era to students who are about to start their job search.

What is the AX Produce Business?

The AX Produce business is a service that comprehensively produces AI Transformation (AX) to help companies achieve it in an ideal form. It goes beyond simple AI tool implementation support, offering comprehensive services that rebuild the company's business model itself on an AI-first premise to create sustainable competitive advantage. After deeply interviewing management issues and on-site operational processes, we provide consistent support from the selection of optimal AI technology to implementation, and its establishment and education within the organizational culture.

[Lecture Overview] Systematically Explaining AI Skills and Career Strategies Based on On-Site Knowledge

Representative Director Yuta Ibaraki gave a lecture to students of the College of Information Science and Engineering. The lecture consisted of the following three parts:

Actual AI Utilization in Major Corporations: Introduced five patterns, from "companies integrating AI into management as a company-wide strategy" to "companies using AI only in specific departments" and "companies allowing free use without rules." This demonstrated that the status of AI utilization varies greatly among companies.

Explanation of the AI Skill Pyramid®: Explained and-dot's original educational framework, the "AI Skill Pyramid®" (a four-layer structure of AI Literacy, AI Creativity, AI Prompt Design, and Technical Skills). It systematically presented the structure of skills necessary to demonstrate value in the AI era.

Group Work "Thinking About Jobs in the AI Era": An output-oriented workshop was conducted where students discussed "jobs that will be replaced by AI in 10 years" and "jobs whose importance will increase due to AI" in their respective groups. Students constructed hypotheses about their careers in the AI era in their own words.

Additionally, the generative AI use case database and "AX Thinking" jointly published by the General Incorporated Association for the Promotion of Generative AI Utilization (GUGA) and and-dot were introduced, aiming to provide practical knowledge that students can immediately apply after entering society.

[Student Feedback] Faced Career Questions Through the Lecture

"The idea that AI will not eliminate jobs but rather 'redefine the work that humans do' left a strong impression. In particular, the work thinking about jobs 10 years from now was memorable and served as a good opportunity to think about my future career. I want to acquire the ability to effectively utilize AI, not just use it."

"What particularly impressed me during this lecture was the discussion about the concept, 'Why is this job done by humans?' I learned that it is important to distinguish between 'parts that can be left to AI' and 'parts that can only be done by humans,' rather than simply jobs disappearing. It was a very valuable experience to hear from someone who actually supports AI utilization and to learn about the on-site perspective that cannot be obtained from news or the internet."

"The phrase shown at the end of the lecture, 'The AI era is an era where what people should do becomes clear,' was particularly impressive, and I agreed with the idea that as AI's domain expands, the areas where humans can demonstrate value become clearer."

[Speaker's Comment]

Yuta Ibaraki Representative Director, and-dot Inc. DX Producer, Fukuoka Prefecture; Expert for Nagoya City's DX Promotion Plan

"When supporting AI utilization in companies, I have often seen 'people's awareness' become a barrier to change before the technology itself. In that regard, the students this time were quick to absorb and generate ideas, and in the group work to consider jobs 10 years from now, many perspectives that impressed me emerged. AI is a tool that becomes your ally the more you use it. I want those of you in an environment where you can learn technology to use AI more than anyone else while you are still students, and to make 'working with AI' a normal part of your lives before you enter society. I hope this lecture serves as the first step towards that."

[Future Outlook] Accelerating the Development of Next-Generation AI Talent and Further Strengthening Collaboration with Educational Institutions

and-dot will continue to actively expand collaborations with universities and higher education institutions and continue talent development activities toward realizing a society where generative AI is utilized as an "obvious infrastructure." In the future, we will also work to create opportunities for students to use AI in practical work while they are still enrolled, through accepting interns (sales positions) and providing learning content for students.

Under the vision of and-dot Inc., "Redefining the work that people should do and creating a foundation where everyone can focus on more creative work," we will continue to contribute to knowledge sharing and next-generation talent development through industry-academia collaboration.

[Company Profile of and-dot Inc.]

Company Name: and-dot Inc. Representative Director: Yuta Ibaraki Headquarters: 2F-O1, Futaba Building (GUILD), 1-16-6 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0043 Business Activities: Solutions business utilizing generative AI, and related businesses URL: https://and-dot.co.jp

[About Ritsumeikan University]

University Name: Ritsumeikan University Location: 1 Kinugasa-cho, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8520 URL: https://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/

[Media Inquiries Regarding This Release]

Company Name: and-dot Inc. E-mail: [email protected] Contact: and-dot Public Relations Office