Shaping AI technology for the benefit of society

Professor Dr. Osamu Sakura, University of Tokyo, talked about the cultural aspects of human-AI relations, emphasising the concept of "social shaping of technology" (SST). He explained how technology and society influence each other and provided historical examples such as telephones and radio, as well as modern examples such as cameras on mobile phones. Sakura argued that ordinary people’s usage patterns often shape technology in unexpected ways.

Osamu Sakura talked about the evolving roles of key actors in science and technology, from governments to private businesses. He suggested that ordinary citizens can play a significant role in shaping technology. Osamu Sakura pointed to the importance of bridging science and everyday life, using Japanese examples from cleaning, architecture, food, and fashion.

Osamu Sakura also presented the Japanese concept of “engawa,” a traditional in-between space, as a metaphor for bridging science with public life. He concluded by highlighting the need for friendly human-robot relations, discussing how AI can contribute to a more democratic society and emphasised purposeful and beneficial applications of AI.

AI researcher Milad Morad, Fraunhofer FIT and RWTH Aachen University, talked about the potential of AI as an interactive agent in human-AI teaming. He highlighted that AI should not just be seen as a tool but as an "agent" capable of interacting with us. He made reference to Yuval Noah Harari, who describes AI as potentially revolutionising, with the ability to act independently and deeply impact societies.

Milad Morad discussed the impact of AI on creation, learning, and business productivity. He emphasised the need to evaluate AI’s effectiveness from a user’s perspective.

Professor Koji Kida, Kagawa University, presented a project utilising AI to reimagine the artistic style of Kunibo Wada, a renowned Japanese designer. Through machine learning, Koji Kida's team developed a custom AI model that creates font designs inspired by Wada’s distinctive handwriting. The project aims to reduce the manual effort for students while preserving the essence of Wada's design, and will be a bridge between traditional art and modern technology.

Another project by Professor Koji Kida’s team uses generative AI to create 3D virtual spaces based on Wada’s landscape paintings. The virtual spaces offer users an innovative way to engage with Japanese cultural heritage.

In her keynote lecture “Bridging the gap: exploring AI Literacy for teachers and students in a transformative educational landscape”, Senior Associate Professor Linnéa Stenliden, Linköping University, highlighted the importance of AI literacy in education, stressing the need for teachers and students to understand AI's ethical and social implications.

She called for interdisciplinary collaboration to shape AI literacy curricula. The aim of those curricula is to equip the next generation with the skills needed to navigate an AI-enhanced world.

In an interactive workshop led by postdoc Mattias Tiger, Linköping University, participants explored AI solutions to real-world business challenges.

Using case studies, the workshop showcased AI’s transformative potential in optimising operations and fostering innovation across industries. The session aimed to inspire future applications of AI in business settings, connecting academic research with industry needs in both Europe and Japan.

Associate Professor Arisa Ema explored the complexities of managing AI’s societal impact and the importance of strong governance frameworks. She stressed the need for input from academia, industry, government, and civil society to create ethical AI guidelines across sectors like healthcare, finance, and defence.

To tackle risks such as privacy concerns and job loss, Arisa Ema emphasised transparency and best practices. She also addressed innovation challenges such as legal and accessibility issues.

Jeannette Nilsson from the Research Institute of Sweden (RISE) presented a grassroots AI initiative in Sweden aimed at making AI accessible to a wider audience. Started five years ago, the project involved collaboration across academia, government, industry, and civil society. Instead of creating new programmes, it focused on utilising existing resources. The group developed 25 key AI proposals, gaining national support despite limited funds. Jeannette Nilsson highlighted the importance of AI literacy, practical solutions, and international cooperation. She pointed out that keeping an inclusive, bottom-up approach is necessary when aiming to align with government roadmaps.

• Introduction to AI and IoT Utilization Support Case Studies by the Nagano Prefecture General Industrial Technology Center, 
  Dr. Junji Sakamoto, Nagano Prefecture General Industrial Technology Center, Japan.
• Teaching AI Machines to Productively Treat Explicit Entropy Notion, 
  Dr. Evgeni B. Starikov, Kobe University; Chalmers University of Technology, Japan/Sweden.
• Self-supervised Learning for Machine Activity Recognition (Poster) 
  Kunru Chen, Halmstad University, CAISR, Sweden.

Recent Progress of Japan-Germany Collaboration Activities between Nagano Prefecture and Fraunhofer Institute for FIT, 
Prof. Kiyoshi Tanaka, Academic Assembly (Engineering), Shinshu University, Japan, in co-authorship with 
Tatsuya Tanaka, Industrial and Labor Affairs Department of Nagano Prefecture, Japan. 
Sabine Ganter-Richter, Network for Science, Germany, 
Dr. René Reiners, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology, Germany.

Autonomous drones, a quadruped robot dog, and humanoid robots - they all live at LiU and the conference participants met them. They also met the researchers collaborating with the robots, to learn their story.

The conference participants also had a guided visit to Linköping Science Park, social dinners and a study tour at Toyota Materials (Innovation Centre). They attended a reception hosted by the Mayor of Linköping at the City Hall and a dinner at Linköping Castle as guests of the Governor of Östergötland.