The 56th Research Seminar was held on January 9, 2024.
Title: Cosmology results with Subaru HSC data and recent topics on ML applications to cosmology
Speaker:
Masahiro Takada (Professor, Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU), The University of Tokyo)

B’AI Global Forum, Institute for AI and Beyond will hold a B'AI Global Forum Lecture "Language Education in the AI Era" on January 15, 2024.

・Date(s): January 15, 2024 (Mon), 3:30~5:00 pm (JST)
・Venue: On-site (up to 25 participants) & Zoom Webinar
・On-site：Room 327, Faculty of Science Bldg.3 (The University of Tokyo, Asano Campus)
https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/campusmap/cam01_06_03_j.html　
・Registration Pre-registration required.
For on-site participation, please register below by 9 January (Tue); to participate via Zoom please register below by 13 January (Sat).
・Please register the application form below.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSezxvWKczOH-JsWUKWPmB5lmtZXLReusbUWESh3vu28Nah92w/viewform
・Language: Japanese
・Organizer: B’AI Global Forum, Institute for AI and Beyond, The University of Tokyo
・Supported by The Institute for AI and Beyond, The University of Tokyo

Abstract:
In this lecture, Professor Yujin Yaguchi, who has been teaching English at the University of Tokyo for a long time and conducted a field study at Duolingo, will discuss the approach to university English education based on advanced initiatives in AI-driven English education, including Duolingo. Following his lecture, Dr. Sho Tsuji, who investigates language development in infants and young children through a neuroscientific approach, and Professor Takane Ito, a linguist with extensive experience in English education at the university level, will provide comments from different perspectives and engage in discussions with the audience.

Lecturers
・Yujin Yaguchi (Vice President; Director, Center for Global Education, The University of Tokyo)
・Sho Tsuji (Lecturer, International Research Center for Neurointelligence, The University of Tokyo)
・Takane Ito (Vice President; Project Professor, Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, The University of Tokyo)

Moderator
・Yuko Itatsu (Professor, Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, The University of Tokyo)

Program:
■ Opening Remarks
・Kaori Hayashi (Executive Vice President; Professor, Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, The University of Tokyo)

■ Lectures
Yujin Yaguchi “University Language Education and Generative AI”
How does generative AI impact university language education? In this lecture, we specifically focus on English language education. Can university English education continue as it is now? Is the current method of evaluating English proficiency still effective? The lecture aims to delve into the approach to university English education in the era of ChatGPT and Duolingo/the Duolingo English Test (DET).

Sho Tsuji “Relationship Between Language Education and Generative AI from the Perspective of Language Development”
Is it possible to leverage generative AI in university language education?
Firstly, we will discuss why adults find it challenging to acquire foreign languages compared to children. Based on this, we will explore the differences between the natural learning that children experience in their daily lives and the scholarly learning undertaken by adults. The lecture aims to explore the possibility of generative AI offering a more natural learning approach to a larger adult population.

Takane Ito “The Significance of Engaging with ‘Different Knowledge Systems’”
The impact of AI on university language education can be broadly categorized into (1) the argument for the dispensability of foreign language education due to the development of automatic translation and (2) the specific methods of AI utilization in language education (and their feasibility). In this lecture, we aim to view foreign language education as an opportunity to contextualize the system of the native language, which is an "absolute" presence for children raised in a monolingual environment, to cast doubt on the discourse of (1) and explore its implications for the methods of (2).

■ Q&A/Discussions

■ Closing Remarks
Takane Ito

The Future of Higher Education in the AI Age

This two-day event invites participants to explore the social impact of AI technology in higher education, from political, cultural, and ethical perspectives. How should we understand the latest AI technologies? How should they be reflected in the future design of higher education? We will invite scholars from various fields in Japan and the United States to discuss multifaceted implications of AI technologies by looking not only at their technical aspects but also at their political, social, and cultural dimensions.

This event is organized by the B’AI Global Forum at the University of Tokyo and supported by the Institute for AI and Beyond and UTokyo New York Office.

Date & Venue
・ Dates:
　December 14, 2023 (Thu) 3:00-6:10 pm (EST)
　　(December 15, 2023 (Fri) 5:00-8:10 am (JST))
　December 15, 2023 (Fri) 4:30-6:00 pm (EST)
　　(December 16, 2023 (Sat) 6:30-8:00 am (JST))
・ Format: On-site & Online Hybrid
・ Venue: University of Tokyo New York Office
・ Registration: Pre-registration required.
Please register using the URL below by Dec 10, 2023.
https://shorturl.at/dqsU3
・ Language: English

※ Please note that the seating capacity at the NY Office is about 30 people. In-person registration will be closed once all the seats are taken.
※ We will publish the video of the event on the B’AI Global Forum YouTube channel.

The 54th Research Seminar was held on November 7, 2023.
Title: Neuroscientific Considerations on Some Special Structures in Deep Neural Networks
Speaker:
Takashi Shinozaki / Faculty of Infomatics, Kindai University / Associate Professor

Tokyo College, The University of Tokyo/ B’AI Global Forum, Institute for AI and Beyond will hold a talk by Jennifer ROBERTSON (Tokyo College Professor, The University of Tokyo Professor Emerita, University of Michigan) entitled ““SECURITAINMENT”: Triangulations of Embodied AI, Entertainment, and Surveillance” on November 27, 2023.

Date(s): Monday, 27 November 2023, 15:00-16:30
Venue: Zoom Webinar (Register here)
Registration Pre-registration required.
Please register the application form below.
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_r_pJvZs9TemRCZCkTew7uQ#/registration
Language: English (Japanese interpretation)

Abstract:
CCTV cameras are installed almost everywhere in Tokyo and other Japanese cities, and private security systems, introduced in the 1980s, are now standard in most homes. Surveillance is also embedded in everyday life, work, and play and has become “a way of seeing” and influences “ways of being seen.” In this presentation Prof. Robertson explores how and why AI-enabled entertainment and surveillance technologies have become fused, and speculates on the consequences of their triangulation.

Program:
Lecturer
Jennifer ROBERTSON (Tokyo College Professor, The University of Tokyo Professor Emerita, University of Michigan)

Commentator
ITATSU Yuko (Director, B’AI Global Forum & Professor, Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, The University of Tokyo)

Moderator
Flavia BALDARI (Project Researcher, Tokyo College, The University of Tokyo)

MeDi, formed in May 2017, became a subsidiary organization of the Institute for AI and Beyond, the University of Tokyo, B'AI Global Forum, in 2020. Over the past six years, it has been engaged in various activities. Now, we have decided to hold a symposium titled "Media and Diversity - Has Women's Voices Reached the Media?" to reassess the outcomes of its six years of activities.

The Poster Presentations by the Institute for AI and Beyond will be held on Tuesday October 10th at Takeda Hall/Foyer on Asano Section. Students, faculty, and staff members of the University of Tokyo are welcome to attend the event.

In this poster presentation, researchers from each Basic and Applied research groups, and Alumni committee of the Institute for AI and Beyond, Collaborative Innovation Partnership (CIP) and SoftBank, present their research by poster and interact with the Beyond AI community and students, faculty and staff members of the University of Tokyo. The goal is to further develop research and promote new collaborations.

■Date & Time: Tuesday, October 10, 2023 15:00-18:00（JST）Opening at 14:30 for participants
■Organized by the Institute for AI and Beyond, the University of Tokyo
■Language: Japanese or English
■Venue: Takeda Hall (5th Floor of the Takeda Building, the University of Tokyo)
ACCESS map
https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/campusmap/cam01_04_16_j.html

・Registration is not required for attending the events
・Please refrain from photographing posters on the day of the event without permission from the poster presenters.
・Please refrain from participating if you have a fever or are feeling unwell.
・When conversing at the venue, we recommend that you wear a mask or keep a reasonable distance from the person you are conversing with.

Flyer:
https://beyondai.jp/contents/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/BAI_A1_1.jpg

Inquiries: Office of the Institute for AI and Beyond
Email: bai.kouhou_event.adm [at] gs.mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp
(Please change [at] to @)

A video recording of the event "How do we live with AI?", celebrating the publication of the book “Understanding AI in Society: How Technology Exerts Power” on July 28th, organized by by the B'AI Global Forum is now available.
The event was held in Japanese.

The contents of the book was introduced through reports by the authors and discussions with commentators, as well as to discuss AI technology critically from multiple perspectives at the event.

About the book （Japanese only)
https://www.utp.or.jp/book/b10026693.html

B’AI Global Forum Official Website
https://baiforum.jp/en/

The 52nd Research Seminar was held on September 5, 2023.
Title: Inverse design of physical systems with desired properties using automatic differentiation
Speaker:
Koji Inui / Graduate School of Engineering / Project Assistant Professor

Special Seminar was held on July 21st, 2023.
Title: Toward Dense 3D Reconstruction in the Wild
Speaker: Jia Deng / Princeton University / Associate Professor

For more details please refer to the webpage of the Professor Tatsuya Harada's laboratory
https://www.mi.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/blog/event/visit-of-prof-jia-deng/