Tokyo Forum 2026 “Rethinking Capitalism: Varieties, Contradictions, and Futures”
Details
| Type | Lecture |
|---|---|
| Intended for | General public / Enrolled students / International students / Alumni / Companies / High school students / University students / Academic and Administrative Staff |
| Date(s) | November 20, 2026 13:00 — November 21, 2026 17:30 |
| Location | Hongo Area Campus |
| Venue | Yasuda Auditorium |
| Capacity | 1000 people |
| Entrance Fee | No charge |
| Registration Method | Advance registration required
Please register in advance at the URL below. |
| Registration Period | September 1, 2026 — November 21, 2026 |
| Contact | tokyo.forum.adm(at)gs.mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp *Please replace (at) with @. |
AI as a Transformative Technology: Humanity, Knowledge, and Civilization
AI is already everywhere, especially in places where we cannot see. The public visibility of technology often comes at a pace substantially slower than the actual development of that technology. In Tokyo Forum 2026, we step back and think about the history of transforming technologies in the last three centuries, to make sense of the daunting pace of the development of AI technology today. When new technology first emerges, we tend to be mesmerized by its seemingly exponential capacity to change human existence. We find it awe-inspiring yet threatening at the same time. Nonetheless, the history of technology reveals that new technology, however major it is, usually does not make all the existing technologies obsolete. Instead, what tends to happen is that the new technology gradually finds its place in society and plays its role to meet the increasingly diverse and complex needs in society, together with existing technologies. This raises the question of whether AI represents continuity in technological evolution, or a fundamental shift in the relationship between humans, knowledge, and technology.
As the University of Tokyo celebrates in 2027 the 150th anniversary of its foundation, one of its bedrock foundations has been the world-class research capacity in technological development consolidated over its long history. For those researchers involved with AI related work, however, there has been a growing awareness that the existing range of institutional vocabularies and frameworks fall short of meeting the needs for more fundamental communications and collaborations. We explore the leading role that universities should play to create innovative spaces for AI and other technology research to fuse together with the humanities and social sciences, for a more sustainable integration of AI in our society. The shifting contours of geopolitics in the contemporary world makes it doubly compelling that universities strive to guide AI technology for the betterment of the well-being of our society.
Please be sure to check out the official website for the latest program and speaker lineup!
AI is already everywhere, especially in places where we cannot see. The public visibility of technology often comes at a pace substantially slower than the actual development of that technology. In Tokyo Forum 2026, we step back and think about the history of transforming technologies in the last three centuries, to make sense of the daunting pace of the development of AI technology today. When new technology first emerges, we tend to be mesmerized by its seemingly exponential capacity to change human existence. We find it awe-inspiring yet threatening at the same time. Nonetheless, the history of technology reveals that new technology, however major it is, usually does not make all the existing technologies obsolete. Instead, what tends to happen is that the new technology gradually finds its place in society and plays its role to meet the increasingly diverse and complex needs in society, together with existing technologies. This raises the question of whether AI represents continuity in technological evolution, or a fundamental shift in the relationship between humans, knowledge, and technology.
As the University of Tokyo celebrates in 2027 the 150th anniversary of its foundation, one of its bedrock foundations has been the world-class research capacity in technological development consolidated over its long history. For those researchers involved with AI related work, however, there has been a growing awareness that the existing range of institutional vocabularies and frameworks fall short of meeting the needs for more fundamental communications and collaborations. We explore the leading role that universities should play to create innovative spaces for AI and other technology research to fuse together with the humanities and social sciences, for a more sustainable integration of AI in our society. The shifting contours of geopolitics in the contemporary world makes it doubly compelling that universities strive to guide AI technology for the betterment of the well-being of our society.
Please be sure to check out the official website for the latest program and speaker lineup!
