Introduction
Have you ever thought, "Am I the only one having trouble at work?" or "There are so many things I can't do without my senior colleagues..."?
In fact, in recent years, major companies have been using AI not merely as a tool, but as a partner that supports "on-the-ground wisdom." There are important lessons we can learn from the initiatives implemented by companies such as Hitachi, Santen Pharmaceutical, and Otsuka Corporation.
This article clearly explains how AI is actually being used and what we should learn from it. By the time you finish reading, you should have a clearer idea of what you can do yourself.
The essence of AI is "passing on past wisdom to the next generation."
First, this is the most important point.
Hitachi's railway systems: Sharing "tacit knowledge" from veterans to younger employees
Hitachi, Ltd.'s Daigo Works (Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture) is utilizing AI in its quality assurance department for train operation management systems for railways. This is a crucial hub that controls lines spanning 24 lines and 392 stations in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Problem: The issue of the "knowledge (experience)" possessed by veterans.
The quality assurance department, which functions as the "customer contact point when a problem occurs,"
- Veteran employees can make accurate judgments even in rare cases, but...
- New recruits and mid-career hires may not be able to immediately recall past incidents of trouble.
- When updating systems, it is difficult to transfer the know-how of experienced personnel.
What caught our attention here was the use of "generative AI." By introducing an AI that had been fed past problem cases, even new employees were able to handle situations at the same level as veterans.
Specific mechanisms: Questions and related examples
- ChatGPT-like usability: When you ask a question, a concise answer is displayed.
• Multiple links to related past cases will be displayed:Its distinguishing feature is that it immediately suggests, "Here's a similar case!"
"I was able to handle it by looking at precedents before joining the company," a young employee at the company said with a smile. Even in their second year with the company, they were able to handle things "on par with veterans."
Jun Yoshida, who oversees Hitachi's AI strategy, said the following:
Santen Pharmaceutical: Accelerating the entire research and development process with AI
Santen Pharmaceutical (Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture), a pharmaceutical company specializing in ophthalmology, uses Microsoft Copilot for all of its business processes. The center, which is responsible for everything from general ophthalmology research to drug development, uses AI to enhance the following four steps.
Hypothesis generation and planning
Data acquisition and analysis
Report/Share
| process | Challenges of the conventional method |
|---|---|
| Information search:I spent days searching databases to find the papers. | |
| Hypothesis generation:There isn't enough time to review outdated company documents. | |
| Data analysis:The options for statistical analysis methods are limited. |
Results: Accelerated research and development by 2-3 times.
The company has noticed that "research that used to take several days can now be done in one day." They are also introducing new statistical analysis methods in non-clinical trials to further improve data quality.
"Overall, we feel we can complete the research and development cycle at two to three times the speed of before," says Takaaki Okabe, CMC Management Leader of the Product Research Division.
For pharmaceutical companies, research and development takes several years, so it's crucial to "ensure that highly successful candidates proceed to clinical trials." The use of AI also contributes to "improving quality."
Supporting "happiness" and "psychological safety" with AI
Otsuka Corporation's unique initiatives
"Rainbow Assistant": A new approach that goes beyond rule-of-mouth
Since 2018, we have been providing our sales representatives with iPhones equipped with our proprietary app, "Rainbow Assistant." In addition to providing standard work support, it also features functions designed to enhance employee well-being.
psychological safety
What is "happiness level"? A system that tunes external models for in-house use.
We use externally developed happiness metrics and optimize them to suit the Otsuka Shokai environment. This allows us to achieve both "mental capital" that enables employees to approach their work positively and "psychological safety" that allows employees to speak freely in the workplace.
| Conventional | After using AI |
|---|
-
- Morning mini-meeting:
Traditional approach: Sharing goals while receiving advice from senior employees.
After AI implementation: The "Rainbow Assistant" app will also incorporate this function, measuring happiness levels through regular surveys.
-
- Identifying challenges at each branch:
Monthly reports compare happiness levels at each branch.
"This is creating a new approach that differs from rules of thumb," says President Yuji Fukai.
Outcome: Dramatic reduction in employee turnover rate.
When issues arise, they are addressed by specialized departments, and as a result, the turnover rate for employees within their first three years has significantly improved, from "around 30% at one point" to "around 10%."
Key points:
-
- The concept of A/B testing:
Previous: Sharing goals at the morning meeting, receiving advice from senior colleagues
It is important for companies not only to create an environment for employee growth, but also to "properly evaluate and support that growth." Otsuka Shokai's initiative is a successful example of using AI to reconcile the seemingly contradictory challenges of "improving employee happiness = improving work efficiency."
How AI is changing the "sense of work"
What changes when facts are applied to "work ethic"
| Traditional feeling | After AI utilization |
|---|
-
- "Fear of failure" → "Learn from past examples:
At Hitachi's railway system quality assurance department, veteran employees' experience (tacit knowledge) can now be passed on to younger employees through AI. We're hearing comments like, "We were able to handle the situation by looking at precedents."
-
- "It's difficult to find information" → "Check multiple sources at once:
-
- "Isolated work" → "Monitoring the overall well-being of the team:"
At Otsuka Corporation, AI is used to support not only individual work efficiency but also "employee well-being and the work environment." We can now quantify and manage "psychological capital" and "psychological safety."
Explanation of technical terms:
- Knowledge
- This refers to "knowledge and wisdom," especially the experience and know-how gained on the job.
- Tacit knowledge → Explicit knowledge
- "AI takes the knowledge (tacit knowledge) that resides in people's minds and converts it into information that anyone can use."
- Copilot
- Microsoft's AI assistant feature can support a variety of tasks, including chatting and document creation.
- Psychological Safety
- "An environment where you can speak up without fear of making mistakes at work." "An environment where you can work with peace of mind."
Points to note:
A. "AI is not omnipotent."
- At HITACHI, a verification process of "incorporating correct answers into the AI" is essential. This involves checks by experienced professionals.
- At Santei Pharmaceutical, we prioritize quality. We proceed cautiously to ensure that highly successful research and development projects lead directly to clinical trials.
B. "Start with the difficult parts when implementing it."
Jun Yoshida of HITACHI says, "The key is to start with the most symbolic and difficult tasks. Engineers get more excited when things are difficult."
C. "Accumulating data and know-how"
Summary: Key points for using AI without losing sight of work and "people"
Now, let's take a look back. The initiatives implemented by Hitachi, Santen Pharmaceutical, and Otsuka Corporation offered important lessons that we should learn.
1. "AI is not a tool for efficiency."
2. "Achieve both quality and speed."
3. "Consider the happiness of others."
What can be gleaned from these three common points is that "AI is a tool to support people." The important point is that it's being introduced not just for efficiency, but to enhance human growth, a sense of security, and satisfaction.
Modern business demands a balance between speed and quality.
However, simply moving quickly is not enough.Because things like "on-the-ground wisdom" and "people's hearts" cannot be quantified.
AI is a technology that makes such "invisible value" visible.Like Hitachi, they pass on past wisdom to younger generations; like Santei, they balance quality and speed in research and development; and like Otsuka, they even care about the well-being of their employees.
The essence of AI lies in "supporting people's growth."We should use AI not to be swayed by technological advancements, but to ensure we do not lose sight of the principle of "putting people first."
Work is about nurturing people.Let's use AI to improve the "quality of work" and support "human growth" and "happiness." Please don't forget this perspective.。
