Toyo University’s “Philosopher AI” and Corporate Exhibits at the Inaugural Kyoto Conference

Sakamura is head of the collaboration Hub for University and Business at Toyo University’s Faculty of Information Networking for Innovation and Design. He is also a professor emeritus of the University of Tokyo.

The system is designed to allow users to have a philosophical conversation with four great thinkers: Socrates, Buddha, Confucius, and Kant. The AI was trained on their works and related texts. When a user speaks a question into a microphone, the four figures, displayed on a large screen, begin to engage in a philosophical dialogue in response. The Buddha AI offers a Buddhist perspective on letting go of attachment, while the Kant AI presents the view of an inner moral law, with each response reflecting the thinker's unique philosophy. This creates the experience of a timeless conversation with the four figures.

The dialogue concludes after about five minutes per question, with Toyo University's founder, Enryo Inoue, providing a summary of the four AI's responses. The fact that the AI can produce more than simple citations from texts suggests its potential to assist in human intellectual inquiry.

In addition to the AI demonstration, the conference venue also features a corporate exhibition section with booths from companies affiliated with the Kyoto Institute of Philosophy. The exhibits focus on contemporary social issues, with themes such as digital twins (NTT), industry-academia collaboration (Hakuhodo), well-being (Hitachi), and the integrity of information circulation (Originator Profile Technology Research Association, which includes The Yomiuri Shimbun).