Celine Hijazi

DUBAI: Professor Kunitake Kaneko, Director of the Research Institute for Digital Media and Content at Keio University, revealed how groundbreaking developments from his Kaneko Lab are transforming the media landscape.

Rather than viewing artificial intelligence as a threat, Kaneko emphasized the importance of embracing AI as a powerful tool to expand the creative and operational potential of media professionals.

Speaking at the Arab Media Summit in Dubai, Kaneko said: “The important thing we can do that AI cannot is have unique viewpoints.”

Kaneko remained objective in his view of AI, highlighting both its distinct challenges and potential for media professionals.  “AI is a very powerful tool, but it is not sustainable,” he admitted.

He explained that every picture, or any piece of data online has a unique footprint, and the biggest issue facing AI’s sustainability is scaling and condensing all this information.

“At Kaneko Lab, we are making technology for 20 years in the future… we are understanding more about these digital objects,” he said.

In the future, when battling these challenges, Kaneko posits that AI can not only benefit Japanese society but also revolutionize the way students are taught.

“In the future, education should change. It’s not wrong, but it needs to be personalized,” Kaneko pointed out as a possible and practical application for AI.

On students, Kaneko also points out how the future generation is becoming more invested in AI – which, for him, is an overwhelmingly positive development.

“At our Annual Symposium [at Kaneko Labs], high school students are coming to discuss what is next for their generation which I have never seen before,” he said.

With people apprehensive about the progression of AI in their respective fields, Kaneko reassures media professionals that refining AI and working with it can unlock new possibilities.