AI and Japanese Companies
Recently, I’ve been using AI more often at work.
It’s incredibly convenient, and the quality and speed of my tasks have improved a lot.
But when I look at the workplace as a whole, the adoption of AI still feels slow.
I even joined a hackathon hosted by our DX department, and honestly, my impression was:
“Hmmm… this feels kind of halfway done…?”
It seemed like using AI had become the goal itself, and I couldn’t see *what* we were actually trying to change.
I feel like there’s a growing gap between “people who use AI with a clear purpose” and “people who are simply told to use AI without one.
”Still, the more I work with AI, the more I realize how much I love Japan’s “hands-on, human-centered work” and its honest, down-to-earth craftsmanship.
For example, the unspoken atmosphere you can only understand through years of experience, the small gestures that make communication smoother, and what people often call the Japanese “craftsman spirit.”
By the way, I’ve been using SONY’s Xperia ever since smartphones became common.
I know that for someone in design, the “mainstream” choice is usually the iPhone.
But I’ve always loved SONY’s philosophy— the idea that “engineers matter more than executives,” a belief that once made it “the SONY admired around the world.”
It’s a little stubborn, a little awkward, and incredibly beautiful.
No matter how advanced AI becomes, it will never be able to create this kind of “philosophy.”
As I sway on the train during my morning commute, I find myself dreaming of a future where many new Japanese companies emerge— companies that blend this kind of philosophy with AI in their own unique way.