Research Presentations (session 5 of 5) - Cao, Ito and Kato

The format of this presentation is each of the three speakers will have approximately 15 minutes to present their research.  This will be followed by a short period of 5-10 minutes for any questions or comments from the audience.

In this session of the Corporate Affiliates Research Presentations, the following will be presented:

 

Hong Cao, PetroChina, "The Role of Large Enterprises in China's Innovation Economy"

China's economy has made tremendous achievements in the past 20 years, and the number of patent applications has also ranked first since 2011.  China is now trying to change its economic growth mode from investment-led infrastructure construction and manufacturing to an innovation-driven one.  It is widely accepted that large enterprises should be main actors in this process of economic transformation.  However, can Chinese large enterprises take on such responsibilities?  In his research, Cao shows there is still a big gap between Chinese and international innovative enterprises both in innovation quality and transformation, and state-owned enterprises still have the problem of insufficient innovation capacity.  In this presentation, Cao argues that increasing the R&D investment to double the current level, establishing innovation accelerators, and implementing institutional reforms are the top priorities for creating an innovative China.

 

Kazumasa Ito, Mitsubishi Electric, "How Can Mitsubishi Electric Play a Role in Urban Air Transportation Business?"

New disruptors that change the way of traveling may be arising from airspace, in addition to existing ride- and car-sharing, that have changed people's minds and will have an effect on car sales.  Many start-ups and aircraft manufacturers are tackling the challenge to realize the urban air transportation business and have begun to improve the level of technology.  In his research, Ito focused on the technologies used in the urban air transportation ecosystem and concluded that Mitsubishi Electric could provide some of these technologies.  He suggests that Mitsubishi Electric should find the partners by leveraging its U.S. offices and other group companies, which could become a lesson for other Japanese companies.  

 

Yoshihiro Kato, Future Architect, Inc., "How Can Companies Adopt Artificial Intelligence in Business?"

Deep learning has received a great deal of attention since it broke a conventional method at an image recognition competition in 2012.  Since then, almost every industry is exploring the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve productivity and make innovation.  Tech giants such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Baidu and others that have invested large amounts of resources to AI have become far more advanced than other companies.  How can ordinary companies adopt AI in their business?  In his presentation, Kato shares insights into the essential factors for companies to implement AI in business.