Key facts
- Sumitomo Corporation CEO Shingo Ueno believes AI cannot create the future or show a vision beyond past data.
- Ueno stated that AI can retrieve information quickly, improving efficiency.
- He described 'kosoryoku' as the power to conceptualize a future that has not yet been imagined.
- Ueno finds AI can provide 'rubbish answers' when trying to make decisions.
- He believes humans must still decide what the future should look like, even if AI helps understand the past.
Shingo Ueno, the CEO of Sumitomo Corporation, a Japanese conglomerate with a market capitalization of approximately $55 billion, has highlighted the limitations of artificial intelligence in envisioning the future. Speaking in early September, Ueno explained that while AI is a valuable tool for research and improving efficiency by quickly retrieving past information, it lacks a crucial human capability he terms 'kosoryoku'. This Japanese concept, pronounced koh-soh-ryoh-koo, refers to the power to conceptualize or formulate a vision for a future that has not yet been imagined. Ueno noted that AI's reliance on past data means it can identify patterns and suggest directions but cannot truly create new visions. He shared an experience where AI provided unusable answers when he attempted to use it for decision-making. Ueno, who has worked at Sumitomo Corporation for over 40 years, prefers a management style of making decisions on the spot to avoid prolonged back-and-forth. He suggested that developing 'kosoryoku' does not necessitate inventing entirely new concepts but rather improving upon existing ones. Ueno also emphasized the importance of taking time away from work, such as on weekends, to rest and return with fresh ideas, underscoring the continued necessity of human foresight in shaping the future.