【Seventh Round】We Ask AI Researcher Mr. Masahiko Osawa What Travel Will Look Like in 5 Years

The New Buds of Tourism, Exploring the Shape and Future of Tourism Five Years Ahead

Mr. Osawa’s thinking of creating a real Doraemon. What’s necessary for us to experience progression in technology?
Today’s column focuses on knowing and pinpointing changes in future tourism and travel trends and brings an expertise from specialist outside of the travel industry to share their thoughts. This time we’re joined by Mr. Masahiko Osawa, who wants to create a real life Doraemon via the best research via human-agent interaction of a single system consisting of humans and AI (robots).

Mr. Masahiko Osawa

　
Mr. Masahiko Osawa is an information sciences associate professor at Nihon University, College of Humanities and Sciences. He is the head of RINGS, a next-generation research center of society and has his PhD in Engineering. During his school years, he established Whole Brain Architecture, which has grown to 2,600 members, becoming Japan’s largest artificial intelligence community. Masahiko was the youngest person to receive the IEEE CIS-JP Young Researcher Award and has other awards under his belt as well. His accomplishments and works have been featured in newspapers and on the web media-wise. He was selected to join Masason Foundation as gifted young person by Masayoshi Son himself. He established a young person’s group in the Japanese Cognitive Science Society and was the representative until March 2020. His written works include: Doraemon Wo Honki De Tsukuru (PHP Shinsho) and Jibun No Hanashi Wo Shio – Seiko Hikiyoseru Jiko Shokai No Kyokasho (PHP Institute, Inc.)
　

The Strength and Kindness Acquired When Protecting My Dreams

　
Explorer: Can you first introduce yourself, Mr. Osawa?
　
Mr. Osawa: A self-introduction by me could be summed up in one word but, I’ll talk about how it is my dream to create a real life Doraemon. When I say I want to create a real life Doraemon, people these days don’t think twice about it. Back then, people would often brush the idea off completely. However, I have more people on my side now and can focus on my research. I’ve been able to convey my thoughts and ideas to people better, and as a result, been able to chase after my dreams in a real way. This has been my dream since I’ve become aware of things, but it’s only been 10 years that I’ve been able to say, with pride, “It is my dream to create a real life Doraemon.”
　
Explorer: Have there been big changes since you’ve been able to say, with pride, “It is my dream to create a real life Doraemon?”
　
Mr. Osawa: The picture I had in my head about how to create Doraemon has changed. At first, I wanted to be the smartest, have the most technological prowess and beat everyone as I make this Doraemon. I think that’s what I felt at the time. Nowadays, I’m more inclined to think of cooperating with everyone to create Doraemon. It’s the complete opposite way of thinking (laughs).
As I mentioned before, when I first started out, a lot of people brushed my ideas off. With those reactions, I felt like I had to beat them at their game. I thought I had to create a Doraemon that would shut those people up. However, nowadays I want everyone to cooperate and work on this together, I want people to like the Doraemon we create by using my community and its endeavors.
　
Explorer: When you say the picture in your head about how to create Doraemon has changed, does that mean you changed the way you’ve protected your dream?
　
Mr. Osawa: When I think about the past 10 years, I think the most important was the fact that I began this journey to create Doraemon with strength and kindness. The thought process of needing to beat others at their game was a cover up for a weakness. Until then, I didn’t properly do any research, so there was no way for me assert I could do something that I couldn’t. I didn’t show any actual abilities or achievements. But with my research, I was able to convince people with my logic and show my technologic prowess, which in turn protected my dream with strength and kindness. That has been a large change in the past 10 years.

　

Not Leadership, but Followership

　
Explorer: Your specialty is information sciences. What is necessary to make a real life Doraemon and did those necessities spark your interest in doing this?
　
Mr. Osawa: It was basically like that. I started making robots when I was in elementary school. I was good at making them but terrible at operating them. I thought they had to move on their own so I started installing electronic kits. When I realized there was a limit to electronic kits, I started learning how to program. Information sciences is basically programming so that became a focus for me.
　
Simply writing code isn’t enough though. Artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and neuroscience also play a role in this. I realized it wasn’t possible for me to learn everything and do everything by myself. So I started to take a deep dive into organizational theory to work with others on this project. I was prepared to do anything to create Doraemon and thus expanded my horizons to cover more topics.
　
Explorer: You said that you realized it wasn’t possible for you to do everything. Mr. Osawa, you’re in charge of RINGS, a next generation research center. What does the center mean to you?
　
Mr. Osawa: The research center’s motto is “It take a 100 people to achieve the dreams of a 100 people.” Although it seems I’ve said something like that before, I have a greedier intention behind this saying. I want to create an environment all 100 people’s dreams are achieved through this relationship of one person’s dream becoming true by the efforts of a 100 people. People who know their path in life know that cooperating with one another is a must. Everyone’s hard efforts reflect upon yourself, and your own efforts reflect upon others. People say that the research center is a place where they’re making a real life Doraemon, but it’s both yes and a no to that statement. One hundred people’s dreams have become one to create this real life Doraemon. However, the center isn’t focused only on that. It is a place where the power to realize everyone’s dreams comes to play.
　
Explorer: What do you keep in mind as you run the center?
　
Mr. Osawa: People often tell me it’s “leadership,” but I believe my strengths lie in “followership.” I’ve always had people near me listen and like my ideas and things went well when I worked with those people. You only need courage to be the first person to say something, but when someone says “yeah, that’s great” to someone who raises the matter first that changes to something like innovation. I’ve had that experience so my role at the research center isn’t leadership, but followership.
　
I’m a person who’ll encourage others when they bring up ideas and they’ll have to do it. That’s the kind of existence I want to be. “Isn’t that great, let’s do it!” I’m in charge of giving people the encouragement to do things. I guess I’m a Doraemon in that sense. When something bad happens, Nobita comes crying to Doraemon, right? Doraemon will bring out some secret tools to solve problems, even though the endings are less than stellar…. Nevertheless, the story continues on, and I’m always impressed by that. I hope that the research center becomes a place where a Doraemon exist to continue their story to escape from feelings such as sadness that was born out of their hearts.

　

Modern Times That Evolve Technology Quickly Need Free Time and Blank Spaces

　
Explorer: Let’s talk about the future five years from now.
　
Mr. Osawa: If we’re talking about our research, we have a saying, “Predicting the future is not necessary and it has no meaning,” (laughs). We say this because technology is evolving too fast and even specialists aren’t able to predict what will happen in the future. People have asked me, “Did you predict Chat GPT would exist at this time?” I reply with, “I predicted the unpredictable, so it was both expected and unexpected. In terms of our research, I feel like people will ask themselves if they’re able to accept something that was unexpected like this technology which changes how people travel. For example, people might not be surprised at the ability to travel using remote controlled robots, but will they readily accept that or will they be prepared to accept that? Those kinds of questions.
　
Explorer: In this world where technology evolves too quickly, how we should live our lives?
　
Mr. Osawa: Making yourself free with time is probably the best thing (laughs). Jokes aside, people who accept new technologies will survive the next generation. If you’re constantly working yourself, you’re occupied with the work that you must do; you’re able to accept new technologies. That’s why people should make themselves free with time in this modern era.
　
Explorer: Do you mean creating a “blank space” for accepting new technologies?
　
Mr. Osawa: Yes. If you ask me what travel will look like in the future five years from now, I think we’re going to become a world where it’s important to schedule times to travel. By traveling regularly, you’ll read books on the way there and experience services you’ve never had before. It doesn’t matter what you do when you travel, it’s all a good time, it’s a time when you can update yourself with new things. It’s a time to step away from your usual life and make time to relax yourself. I feel securing time like this is necessary in a world where technologies and environments change so quickly.
　
One way to do this would be to go on a trip at the end of each month on the weekend. Plan these trips a year in advanced. Think about the past month when you’re on that trip, collect new things that have come out in the world and try them at work.

　

The “Bud” We Found in this Exploration

Mr. Osawa has focused his energy on creating a real life Doraemon. He used his technological prowess, communicated, created organizations and interacted with the people around him. We received a lot of necessary “buds” in this exploration. New technologies will be born one after another, will we be able to create a “blank space” for them? We’re often occupied with the things we have to do now, but we should create time to be free to think, reflect or create time to experience new technologies. This might be something we expected from travel, but it should also offer us value as well. We hope that that free time and blank spaces will be helpful to all. (KMI)