Takano Drives AI into 'Management Decision-Making' with First 'AI Management Course for Executives'

Takano Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Miyada-mura, Kamiina-gun, Nagano Prefecture; President and CEO: Masao Takano) held its first "AI Management Course for Executives" targeting all executives on Tuesday, May 12, 2026.

This course aims to further advance the policy of moving from "personal use to organizational and product application" presented at the "2nd Generative AI Utilization Results Report Meeting" held on March 27, 2026, and to transition to a phase where generative AI utilization is integrated into the management decision-making process itself. In the 3-hour program, executives experienced hands-on sessions where they operated generative AI themselves and interactively examined management issues within their departments and scenarios for business redesign through AI utilization.

As a manufacturing company headquartered in Nagano Prefecture, we will continue to promote our evolution from a "manufacturing industry" to a "creation industry," starting with the transformation of the management team itself.

Background of the Event

To date, our company has promoted the business implementation of generative AI company-wide, working on frontline-led productivity improvements and the creation of new customer value. Through bottom-up practices in each department, the foundation for elevating generative AI to "organizational assets" and "product application" is being established.

The next goal for our company is to connect these bottom-up results to management decision-making itself and to promote AI utilization with an "overall optimization" mindset. The AI management our company envisions is not solely aimed at operational efficiency, but rather treats "operational efficiency," "reallocation of resources to growth and important areas," and "further creation of results" as a single set. Enhancing the quality of management decisions with AI and directing the generated time and human resources to areas that produce higher added value cannot be realized unless the management team itself masters AI. This course was planned as a first step for all executives to experientially learn about generative AI.

Basic Philosophy of the Course: Human in the Loop (HITL)

Throughout all sessions, this course is built on the shared foundation of the Human in the Loop (HITL) principle: "AI proposes, humans decide." We repeatedly shared the stance that rather than completely delegating decision-making to AI, the management team should utilize AI while humans remain responsible for the final judgment and accountability.

In particular, we emphasized the importance of designing a process where humans always confirm and approve irreversible actions such as "send," "delete," "overwrite," and "publish externally." We position AI not as a "magical decision-making device" but as a "sparring partner to expand thinking," and we will make this basic stance of using AI to hone human judgment a common language across the company.

Program Overview

The 3-hour program consisted of the following four sessions.

### Session 1: Frontiers of AI Management - What is Happening in the World

Using examples of generative AI utilization by advanced companies domestically and internationally, we organized the key points for positioning AI as a "management weapon." We shared the importance of not making "efficiency" the end goal, but rather designing "what to do with the time freed up by efficiency."

### Session 2: Management Decision Simulation by "AI President"

A session utilizing "AI President," a proprietary management support AI system trained on 20 years of our company's annual securities reports. Executives experienced a prior AI review of the meeting materials they brought, pointing out missing discussion points, risks, optimistic assumptions, and evaluating consistency with management policies.

### Session 3: Sparring on Management Issues with Generative AI

A practical exercise where executives operated generative AI on their PCs and interactively deepened discussions on the management issues of their departments. Based on the HITL principle of "AI proposes, humans decide," they acquired the skills to utilize AI as a thinking sparring partner.

### Session 4: The "Trap" of Efficiency - Concept of Business Redesign and Resource Reallocation

From the perspective of designing in advance "how to use" the time freed up by AI efficiency, executives redefined the operations of their departments with AI and envisioned scenarios for directing the generated time and human resources to growth and important areas. We shared that the essence of AI management is to not stop at "efficiency" alone, but to design the subsequent resource reallocation and creation of results as a continuous flow.

About "AI President"

"AI President" is a proprietary management support AI system developed by training on 20 years of our company's annual securities reports. It features 1-on-1 chat-based sparring for management decisions simulating the head of the AI Strategy Office (switchable between 6 types of personas), prior AI reviews of PDF and Word materials, risk management, growth strategy, data analysis, frontline perspective, human resource development,