AI for Science — the foundation of knowledge that AI makes possible

What was discussed

The session discussed how far to entrust scientific research and management decisions to AI, and which abilities and responsibilities to leave with humans. The situation in which humans cannot fully review applications that appear to have been written with AI, and the question of who bears responsibility for wrong decisions, were taken up. In research that maps the distribution of materials from crystal structure data to find unexplored regions, it was said that humans are responsible for deciding whether to proceed to experiments and for judging the cost. The need to distinguish between entrusting memory to machines and weakening judgment and cognitive abilities was also discussed.

About this session

Will AI for Science open a new path for research, or destroy the world of research? AI for Science is also an innovation in the research domain that the government is now pursuing strongly. In this session we ask after its future with speakers representing two organisations of researchers: JAAS and the Young Academy of Japan.

Speakers

• 

  Shuji Kitahara

  Tokyo Women's Medical University, Institute of Advanced Biomedical Engineering and Science　Project Associate Professor / Representative Director, Japanese Association for the Advancement of Science (JAAS)

  Holding a doctorate in medicine, he works across anatomy, histology and tumour pathology while extending his research into health economics and public policy. After completing his doctorate at Tokyo Women's Medical University he was a postdoctoral researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. As Representative Director of the Japanese Association for the Advancement of Science he also works on structures that connect researchers with society.

• 

  Kouta Minamizawa

  Keio University　Professor, Graduate School of Media Design

  He graduated in mathematical engineering from the University of Tokyo in 2005 and completed his doctorate at its Graduate School of Information Science and Technology in 2010. After serving as a research assistant professor, project lecturer and associate professor at the Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University, he has been a professor there since 2019. He researches embodied media that transmit, extend and create bodily experience through haptic technology, and works on haptic design, cybernetic avatars and superhuman sports, from research through to deployment.

• 

  Masaki Suwa

  OMRON Corporation　Executive Officer and Head of Strategic R&D, OMRON / President and Representative Director, OMRON SINIC X

  He holds a doctorate in engineering and was born in Kyoto in 1968. He completed his doctoral programme at the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, in 1997 and joined OMRON Corporation. In 2018 he became President and Representative Director of OMRON SINIC X Corporation, opened that year as OMRON's strategic base for designing the near future, which works on frontier technologies across AI, robotics, IoT and sensing and pursues open innovation through joint research with universities and outside institutions. He became an executive officer and head of OMRON's technology and intellectual property organisation in 2022, and heads Strategic R&D following the reorganisation of March 2026. He has also served on the board of the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence.

• 

  Eriko Matsuo

  ModeratorChewing News Inc.　Director / Freelance Announcer

  Born in 1982. After graduating from the School of Commerce at Waseda University she joined Nippon Television as an announcer, anchoring news and sports programmes including NEWS ZERO. She went freelance in 2013 and now works widely across media and business events as an economics anchor and moderator. She holds a master's degree from the Graduate School of System Design and Management, Keio University.