On-Device AI for JAL Cabin Crew WorkflowsDelivering Value in a World with AI Agents: A Fujitsu and Microsoft Collaboration
Report | 2025-8-20
4 minute read
Fujitsu and Microsoft partnered to run a pilot program with Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. (JAL) for the "JAL-AI Report," an app powered by generative AI designed for cabin crew. The trial demonstrated that this AI solution simplifies the report creation process and lessens the workload compared to current applications. This article delves into the definition of generative AI and AI agents, Fujitsu's vision for the future, and the benefits generated through this collaboration between Fujitsu and Microsoft.
Developing a Generative AI App to assist JAL cabin crew with onboard incident reporting
During his keynote speech at the "Microsoft AI Tour" at Tokyo Big Sight on March 27, 2025, Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella introduced the "JAL-AI Report," a business application for Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. (JAL) cabin crew that Fujitsu helped develop. This app leverages generative AI to assist cabin crew in creating reports about incidents that occur onboard, which are then handed over to ground staff. By simply entering keywords and phrases and selecting a few checkboxes, users can generate a handover report. To ensure usability during flights, the app is designed to operate in offline, on-device, edge, and on-premises environments.
Fujitsu collaborated with Headwaters Co., Ltd., a company specializing in AI solutions, to develop the "JAL-AI Report" app. For the implementation of generative AI, they used Microsoft's "Phi," a small language model (SLM) recognized for its performance in offline settings, rather than traditional large language models (LLMs) that depend on cloud connectivity. Phi was fine-tuned using JAL's past reports to create a model tailored for cabin crew operations. The prototype verification confirmed that the text in the generated reports was expressed naturally and accurately incorporated JAL's business terminology. The field trial demonstrated that the app could significantly reduce report creation time and the need for corrections.
Dialogue: AI Agents are like "new employees"
In a breakout session following Satya Nadella's keynote speech, Yousuke Takabayashi Head of Digital Shifts DT Transformation Group, Digital Shifts Department from Fujitsu and Yoshihiko Tomoyama, Data & AI Specialist Manager at Microsoft Japan, discussed the future vision of AI solutions and AI agents envisioned by both Fujitsu and Microsoft.
They also highlighted the value that their collaboration brings to customers and the way they work, referencing the development of JAL's business application.
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As the use of generative AI continues to grow, AI agents that autonomously perform tasks using these models have recently emerged and are gaining significant attention. Although there are various definitions and interpretations of AI agents today, Tomoyama explained, "They are entities that autonomously execute what you want on your behalf, with instructions that can be provided in natural language."
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Regarding Fujitsu's vision for AI agents in the future, focusing on business improvement applications, Takabayashi explained, "AI agents will enter various existing business systems, creating 'business-specific AI agents.' Then, multiple business-specific AI agents will be controlled and linked from a single UI, enabling complex tasks to be executed autonomously." Linking business systems requires coordinating the data managed by each system. However, Takabayashi envisions that AI agents will allow for the control of systems and data from a single user interface.
