CES 2025: At the Forefront of Global Innovation – Unveiling Future Business Opportunities

Professor Tanaka then shared his insights, starting with a strong claim, "This year's CES had an even greater impact than the advent of generative AI." He continued, "NVIDIA's keynote address mentioned the 'era of AI agents.' This isn't a future prediction, but a current reality. Tech companies, including Fujitsu, are starting to offer AI agents as core products." He reported that AI agent-related products and services were a central theme at CES. Referring to Fujitsu Kozuchi AI Agent, he pointed out, "AI is evolving from conversational to autonomous.  Some might think this is still futuristic, but it's currently being integrated into businesses. Companies need to rethink their strategies with AI agents at the core."

AI as Essential Infrastructure: How Will Our Lives and Work Change?

Nishimura: At this year's CES, I felt a strong presence of AI permeating our daily lives. We saw things like AI buttons appearing on TV remotes and airlines introducing AI concierge services that suggest the optimal route from your home to your final destination. Professor Tanaka, from a lifestyle perspective, what aspects caught your attention?

Tanaka: The Chinese company TCL showcased AI-powered and DX-enabled televisions, refrigerators, and washing machines. What struck me was a sense of urgency: Chinese manufacturers are seriously engaging with AI and DX in home appliances, and they are ahead of the curve. While smart and DX appliances have been discussed for the past few years, many Japanese companies are still at the concept stage. TCL, however, is already selling these products. I'm particularly interested in the data these AI-powered appliances are collecting and how it can be used for optimization. TCL is not just a hardware provider but also offers software and services. They were the company that made the biggest impression on me.

Nishimura: How do you see our work changing?

Tanaka: Companies need to restructure their strategies and organizations around the implementation of AI agents. Introducing AI agents will transform how we work. By inputting information into AI agents from the initial stages of a project, we can improve the speed and accuracy of decision-making. If each employee has a dedicated AI agent, we could even hold virtual pre-meetings between the AI agents of key executives, allowing for various simulations. The actual CxOs would then make decisions based on these simulations. In such a scenario, it becomes crucial for us to consider what skills we need to develop and what roles humans should play. We need to take this seriously and develop a sense of urgency.

Yamamoto: While there's ongoing discussion about AI replacing human jobs, Fujitsu's technology development is centered around the "Human Centric" concept. Fujitsu Kozuchi AI Agent, for instance, is designed to work collaboratively with humans, with all specifications defined by people. The meeting agent, already in use, supports human participants by making suggestions based on the conversation. Similarly, the video analysis agent can act like a supervisor in a factory, detecting dangers based on video footage and safety regulations, even when no human is present. AI agents play a supporting role, executing tasks within parameters set by humans. The key is how we use AI. Using AI appropriately is fundamental.

The Fusion of Sustainability and Technology: Is Sustainability as a Trend Coming to an End?

Nishimura: The next topic, "Is sustainability coming to an end?", is quite provocative.  The idea is that as technology and AI become more sophisticated, appliances and factories

Redefining Security: Balancing Data and AI Utilization with Peace of Mind

Nishimura: Our third theme is "Redefining Security." Discussions about the next phase of AI inevitably touches upon security. For example, there was an emphasis on protecting sensitive personal data within the home. Professor Tanaka, what are your thoughts on how we should approach security?

Tanaka: First, let's discuss the benefits of AI agents, as highlighted at CES. You can simply tell an agent your objective, like purchasing a product, and it will handle everything, including browsing and making reservations. AI agents can also gather data scattered across different companies. These are significant advantages, but they also raise concerns about privacy and security. While generative AI has already introduced various risks, the era of autonomous AI agents will exacerbate the potential impact of those risks.

Nishimura: Ms. Yamamoto, what are your thoughts?

Yamamoto: Fujitsu has partnered with Cohere, a Canadian startup, to develop Takane, a large language model (LLM). Unlike OpenAI, which offers generative AI in an open environment, Takane provides specialized AI within a secure, private environment. We encourage those concerned about security risks to consider using Takane. Beyond generative AI, we frequently hear about cyberattacks. To address this, Fujitsu has developed multi-AI agent security. This technology proactively counters new attacks by coordinating multiple AI agents with specialized security skills and knowledge on a cyber twin. Fujitsu is actively responding to security concerns.

Nishimura: The rapid evolution of AI presents a steep learning curve, and we must also keep pace with security advancements. There's much to do. Thank you for your insights today.