Inaugural Kyoto Conference Begins; Thinkers Discuss Values in AI Era
The Inaugural Kyoto Conference—Toward the Realization of a Multilayered Society of Values—(hosted by the Kyoto Institute of Philosophy, co-hosted by Kyoto University, and supported by the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai), the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kyoto Prefecture, and Kyoto City) opened on the morning of September 23 at the Kyoto International Conference Center in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto. Philosophers and other leading thinkers gathered with top executives from the industrial sector to engage in a deep discussion about where society should be heading amid the rapid evolution of science and technology, symbolized by AI, and how to address fundamental issues like human dignity and values. Approximately 600 participants from Japan and abroad are expected to attend the two-day event, which runs through September 24.
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The first day began with opening remarks from Jun Sawada, Executive Chairman of NTT, Inc. and a co-chairperson of the Institute. This was followed by welcome speeches from key Kyoto representatives: Shunichi Tokura, Commissioner of the Agency for Cultural Affairs; Takatoshi Nishiwaki, Governor of Kyoto Prefecture; Koji Matsui, Mayor of Kyoto City; and Nagahiro Minato, President of Kyoto University.
The keynote speeches were delivered by Yasuo Deguchi, Professor at Kyoto University and the other co-chairperson of the Institute, and Markus Gabriel, Professor at the University of Bonn, Germany, and a senior global advisor to the Institute. Professor Deguchi stated, "One mission of KIP is to foreground such multilayeredness of values that individuals and societies harbour, to propose multilayered values appropriate to it, and to realise a Multilayered Society of Values." He proposed a path forward through a cycle of "submergence"—deepening our thoughts to uncover the root causes of problems—and "emergence"—conceptualizing the future from new values.
Following the speeches, a panel discussion was scheduled on topics such as "The Starting Point: Values in a Multilayered World" and "AI and the Question of The Human." The discussion featured global experts, including Teruo Fujii, President of the University of Tokyo; Katsuhiko Hibino, President of Tokyo University of the Arts; and R. Edward Freeman, University Professor at the University of Virginia. They were joined by top industrial leaders: Toshiaki Higashihara, Executive Chairman of Hitachi, Ltd.; Robert Thomson, Chief Executive of News Corp; Börje Ekholm, CEO of Ericsson; Jin Roy Ryu, Chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries; and Toshikazu Yamaguchi, Representative Director President of The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings.
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