iU President Gachon: Prof.Masaru Sugiyama

■iU President Gachon: Prof.Masaru Sugiyama

He is a professor at the University of Tokyo and the director of the RIKEN AIP Center. In other words, he is at the top of AI research in Japan.

It's amazing that he became the top leader at the age of 41, and the government that appointed him deserves credit for that .

◆ AI research in Japan

There are a certain number of brilliant people conducting world-class research. However, their numbers are small, and the pool of talent is thin.

The RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project will continue basic research for 10 years, but to do so, we need a solid team of talented people. Therefore, we invite researchers not only from within Japan but also from overseas.

◆Singularity

It cannot be said that the era when AI surpasses human capabilities will not come. Indeed, AI is already surpassing humans in various aspects. We are in the midst of the beginning of the singularity.

◆Gap between researchers and users

Researchers enjoy developing technology because they understand its inner workings. On the other hand, ordinary users worry that their data is being collected without their knowledge, that they are being monitored, or that they will be controlled by AI. This gap is difficult to bridge. I would like to explain this from the perspective of a researcher.

◆ Let's make use of our technology

I personally like working in isolation. I'm comfortable working alone from home. That's fine when I'm developing technology, but when it comes to actually getting people to use it, I need to communicate with various people around me. I want to convey the possibilities to many people and connect them to actual applications, even if only a little.

◆ Research Institutes and Universities

RIKEN is a research institute, so it's mainly staffed by postdoctoral researchers who have earned their doctorates. Universities, on the other hand, are mainly staffed by graduate and undergraduate students. The age range and the degree to which research is dominated by different groups are different. There is value in doing both. If you do it right, you can get the best of both worlds.

◆Today's students

They are always excellent. Today's students know a wide range of things. They possess knowledge that we don't have, so we can learn from them.

◆ Working with companies

It's fun. Universities have students, RIKEN has researchers from public institutions, and companies have lots of people with the drive to actually turn that into a business. When you go there, you're just a newbie in your first year. You get all sorts of stimulation. You learn from that and use it as the seed for basic research.

◆Time Management

It depends on the time. My main job is at a university and research institute, so I only act as a corporate advisor in my spare time.

◆Student days

I didn't have a particularly fulfilling student life. I didn't really like school. I studied in class to some extent, but nothing more, nothing less. I spent my time at home playing on computers and video games. I'm from the Famicom generation. Programming came naturally as a result of that.

◆The reason I decided to pursue a career as a researcher

Without any hesitation, I chose information engineering. However, once I entered university, programming suddenly became less enjoyable. I didn't study very hard during university.

In my fourth year, I joined a research lab studying mathematical theory. I had a great professor, and working with him there made me realize how interesting it all was. After entering graduate school, I started researching machine learning. That's when I finally understood the meaning of coming to university. As an undergraduate, I thought I was done with studying since I was just attending lectures, but as a graduate student, I realized that output is what's required. That's when I understood that I had been studying in order to produce output. In my first year of graduate school, I realized how necessary it was, so I started attending first and second-year undergraduate classes. That's when I first found it interesting.

◆Motivation to learn

I'm trying my best to convey to first and second graders that even the seemingly boring math lessons they'll be taking are actually useful, but it's difficult.

◆Japanese Education

We're always adding things, wanting to do this and that. We need to subtract. Time is limited. Let them find something they love and enjoy studying it. We can create new things, but we can never destroy them.

◆A message for you

There's no need to rush. Life is long. You might feel anxious when you see young people who are very successful, but you can start new things even at 22, 30, or 40. Don't get discouraged; just enjoy it at your own pace. The world is constantly changing, so trying to keep up will be exhausting. It's important to focus on doing things that don't change much.

★Postscript

He apparently didn't study much at university. Then something clicked, and he rose to the top of academia and management at a young age. But he doesn't seem to give off any sense of gravitas . I admire him. Though, even if I admire him, I could never imitate him!