[Part Ⅱ] “Research and Parenting Both Evolve Through Complementarity” — The Real Life of a Researcher Couple Living in the AI Era: Dr. Mianxiong Dong and Dr. Kaori Ota

Stellar Lab Radio #5：Dr. Mianxiong Dong and Dr. Kaori Ota

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Dr. Dong Expands Through Curiosity, Dr. Ota Deepens Through Persistence

Kita: Earlier, you mentioned that you’ve both continued researching within the same group for a long time. Sometimes you work on projects together, while other times you pursue separate research. Since the two of you are also married, I’d love to ask: what is it about each other’s research that makes you go “Wow!”? It could be the brilliance of your perspectives, your approaches to research, or anything else that truly impresses and inspires you.

Ota: Hmm… (laughs)

Kita: You suddenly started smiling

Ota: I really did . (laughs)

Dong: I’m nervous.

Kita: Nervous?

Dong: I’m wondering what she’s going to say. (laughs)

Ota: One thing I always think about Dr. Dong is how flexible he is. He’s incredibly adaptable, and also a very dedicated learner. He’s constantly studying on his own, always searching for something new. And whenever he goes abroad to international conferences or meetings, he always shares the information he learned there with me. He’ll tell me about keynote speeches he heard or interesting ideas people discussed. I think it’s amazing how quickly he absorbs new information and immediately thinks about how to apply it to his own research.

As for me, when I encounter limitations or constraints in current systems, I tend to think about methods or techniques to solve those problems. But Dr. Dong is always keeping his antenna up for new ideas and possibilities, constantly searching for something exciting to incorporate into his research. I think that’s one of his greatest strengths.

Kita: Had you ever heard her say that before? (laughs)

Dong: Never. (laughs)

Ota: I don’t compliment him very often.

Dong: This might be the first time in decades.

Kita: So how would you evaluate yourself based on what Dr. Ota just said?

Dong: Well, I believe that to do good research, ideally you need to be capable across all aspects.

But at the same time, everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Very few people can do everything alone. That’s why I think teams are necessary.

In that sense, one characteristic of Dr. Ota’s research style is that she complements me perfectly. As she mentioned earlier, I’m someone who is curious about many things and constantly interested in different areas. That’s certainly one of my strengths, but that alone isn’t enough.

What complements that is Dr. Ota’s ability to steadily pursue one thing over a long period of time — to patiently keep working at it. That is absolutely essential in research. And honestly, that’s the part that doesn’t naturally suit my personality. So the fact that she fills that gap is incredibly important. I believe that truly good research only becomes possible when those two elements come together as one.

Kita: I see. That’s wonderful — really wonderful.

I can completely understand now why things work so well for you both, not only as research collaborators but also as a married couple.

From your perspective, Dr. Dong, could you give a concrete example of that persistence and steadiness you’re talking about?

Dong: Sure. Back when we were undergraduates and assigned to our labs, Dr. Ota was already doing research involving sensors and sensor connections.

Then during her master’s program, she studied abroad in the United States, where she researched energy efficiency in sensor networks.

Kita: Mm-hmm.

Dong: After that, during her doctoral studies, she returned to the University of Aizu and continued working on network research. Even now, her main field is communications research. If you look at the broader picture, her core focus hasn’t really changed for almost twenty years. More than anything, her work has become increasingly unified and focused over time.

Meanwhile, I’ve worked on many different things — disaster-related research, medical applications, and various other application-layer topics driven by my interests. So I think that’s one of the major differences in our research styles.

Kita: But it sounds like those differences fit together really well whenever you work on a project together.

Ota: He often says I’m very serious, but honestly, I don’t think of myself that way. And yes, as he explained, my work may appear very consistent from the outside, but within myself I actually feel there have been many differences and changes along the way. So hearing that from Dr. Dong made me realize that maybe those differences weren’t as visible to him. I think that probably comes from differences in our personalities and perspectives.

Kita: Like the range or degree of variation.

Ota: Exactly.

Kita: Dr. Dong seems to move dynamically in many different directions.

As you mentioned earlier, your personalities and research approaches are quite different. It sounds like one person charges ahead while the other helps slow things down or redirect them when necessary. By balancing and navigating together like that, it feels as though your research activities move forward in a really healthy way.

I’d also love to hear about your childhoods — what kind of children you were, and how your interest in research first began and eventually led you to where you are today.

Dr. Dong, I heard you came to Japan around the age of twelve. Around that time — or perhaps even before then — did you already have an interest in research? Was there some major turning point or strong motivation that inspired you?

 

Study Abroad Connected Research, Career, and Life

Dong: Yes. I came to Japan because my family immigrated here. Since I’m now a university faculty member, I often talk with current students — especially undergraduates. When you ask first-year students about their careers, for example whether they want to pursue a master’s degree, go on to a doctorate, or become professors, you rarely get a very clear answer at that stage.

But for me, even when I was a first-year university student, I had already pretty much decided that I wanted to become a university professor.

Kita: Really? Is that so?

Dong: I had already decided, in my heart.

Kita: Oh wow. Even though you didn’t say it out loud.

Dong: Exactly.

Kita: Just internally.

Dong: Yes. I had already decided. Naturally, once I entered university, I had already made up my mind that I would continue all the way through a doctorate. And after earning a PhD, I would become a university professor.

If you ask me why, there wasn’t one specific reason. It was simply that I wanted to become a researcher. And even among researchers, there are many kinds of workplaces — government research institutes, corporate research labs, university researchers, and so on. But from early on, I always felt that I wanted to do research while being part of a university environment.

So once I entered university, my motivation — or rather, my destination — had already been decided from the beginning. Since then, I’ve just continued moving forward step by step.

What about you, Dr. Ota?

Ota: In contrast, I never thought about becoming a researcher that early.

Even in high school, I was still wondering what I should do with my future. Around that time, the internet was beginning to emerge, and I became fascinated by it. That interest led me to enroll at the University of Aizu, a university specializing in computer science. That was really my entry point into this field.

Even during university, I still wasn’t thinking about pursuing a doctorate. But I was interested in studying abroad, and I had the opportunity to study in the United States. While I was there, I started feeling that research was actually very interesting, and that’s when I decided to continue on to a PhD.

Kita: You never thought about staying there?

Ota: Well, honestly, the American university itself wasn’t necessarily my top choice academically. I simply really wanted to go to America, so I accepted the first offer I received. It wasn’t a university particularly strong in computer science, so I felt that the University of Aizu was actually stronger in my field. That’s why I decided to return and earn my degree there.

Kita: That’s fascinating. So studying abroad wasn’t originally driven by research itself — the starting point was simply wanting to study in America.

Ota: Exactly.

Kita: That’s really interesting. I think that’s the first time I’ve heard that pattern in these interviews.

Ota: (laughs)

Kita: Since you’re a researcher now, I assumed your motivation for studying abroad was something like, “This university is strong in this research field.” But at that point, that wasn’t the key factor. What inspired you to go to America?

Ota: Well, in terms of my research topics, I’ve been fairly consistent, as we discussed earlier. But in life overall, I think I’ve tended to follow external influences or suggestions — people saying, “Why don’t you try this?”

Actually, even my interest in the internet during high school started because my parents bought a computer for me. Later I found out they were secretly hoping I’d stay in my hometown.

And I completely fell for it. (laughs) That’s how I ended up staying local.

As for wanting to study abroad, there was a very famous English professor at the University of Aizu who strongly encouraged students to go abroad. Starting in my first year, I took his TOEFL classes, and he really mentored me throughout my time there. For four years straight, he kept telling us that studying abroad was something we absolutely should do. By the end, I was completely sold on the idea that I should go to America, so I ended up moving there without thinking too deeply about it.Kita: But in the end, because you wanted to pursue research seriously, you came back. So did you rediscover your interest in computer science there and feel that research activities would be easier to advance in Japan?

Ota: Yes, exactly.

Kita: I see. But by going abroad and working in English, it seems that English became a tool that allowed you to further expand your work in computer science. Did that experience have that kind of effect on you?

Ota: Definitely. The University of Aizu already had a bilingual education system, so the barrier was already fairly low. Then studying abroad in America lowered that barrier even further.

As a result, I think I naturally developed an international mindset throughout my career — preferring to publish papers internationally rather than focusing only on domestic conferences, and approaching research with a more global orientation. Looking back now, I feel that experience really shaped that mindset.

Kita: So have you done many collaborations or joint research projects with overseas researchers since then?

Ota: Yes, definitely.

And actually, when I later went to Canada, I was still officially enrolled in the doctoral program at the University of Aizu, but I also had the opportunity to study at a Canadian university at the same time. I think that experience expanded my academic network even further.

Kita: Can I ask something a little bold?

Dr. Dong, when I hear that you chose to stay in Japan and become a faculty member here, I imagine computer science itself was an important factor — but I also can’t help noticing Dr. Ota’s presence in that story. What was the reality of that?

Dong: No, that’s exactly right.

When we went to Canada, we were both still students.

Kita: Right, right.

Dong: We were both doctoral students. And before going to Canada, we actually got married.

Kita: Oh, really?

Dong: Yes. We got married first, and then we went together. So naturally, after graduating, we ended up continuing our careers in Japan.

I think — this is just my personal feeling — that in life, everything needs some sort of trigger or catalyst. For us, studying abroad became the trigger for marriage. Going to Canada together was what triggered us to start living together as a couple.

Kita: While you were in Canada, did your research activities overlap?

Dong: We were in the same laboratory.

Ota: Yes.

Kita: In that case, while observing each other’s work styles and research styles, did you begin to feel that working together created a kind of synergy? Like the differences in your management styles we talked about earlier?

Dong: Back then, when we graduated, the academic job market — especially for becoming a university faculty member in Japan — was far more difficult than it is now. There were very few positions, competition was intense, and the field itself wasn’t nearly as broad as it is today.

Nowadays there’s AI and all sorts of demand for information science talent, but back then it wasn’t that kind of era yet. So we didn’t necessarily have some grand vision about what we absolutely wanted to do. At the very least, our starting goal was simply to secure research positions together at the same national or public university.

That was really our first motivation. After we returned and graduated, that was the goal we focused on during our job search.

Ota: Right. So it wasn’t that we had been aiming for our current style from the beginning. But once you get married and become a family, it becomes inconvenient to live in separate places.

At our first jobs, we actually worked at different research institutions.

Dong: In Kyoto Prefecture…

Kita: Ah, I see.

Ota: Yes. And I was in Muroran, so we had a period like that.

Dong: Right. It was a long-distance relationship, and there’s no such thing as a commuter pass for airplanes.

Kita: True.

Dong: So we flew on low-cost carriers almost every weekend.

Ota: We did.

Kita: On LCCs?

Dong: Kansai Airport to Sapporo, then Sapporo back to Kansai — we flew that route constantly.

Ota: Constantly.

Dong: On budget airlines.

Ota: Flights were incredibly cheap back then.

Dong: Just a few thousand yen.

Ota: Really, just a few thousand.

Kita: Ah, right, right. Flights are expensive these days.

Dong: Around 4,000 or 5,000 yen, right?

Ota: Exactly, if you booked early.

Dong: If you booked early.

Ota: They were really cheap.

 

Teaching, Research, and Parenting as a “Team Effort” — A Style of Child-Rearing Only Possible for a Researcher Couple

Kita: At the same time, as your life stages changed, there were probably times when living apart was manageable, and other times — especially with children involved — when living together or sharing the same base became much easier because the burden was heavier.

For example, when children are born, one partner physically has to go through childbirth. Since you both respect each other’s research careers, did you ever consciously think about how to manage things together? Or perhaps try to see those life events positively and even incorporate them into your research life in some way?

Ota: We have two children, and with our first child, everything was new to us, so I think the burden on my husband in terms of work became quite heavy.

But by the time we had our second child, we were more used to things, so while the baby was sleeping, I would write grant applications and things like that. But I pushed myself too hard and ended up getting mastitis, which was really difficult. At that time, I realized that after giving birth, you really need to take care of your body.

Kita: I understand.

Ota: Yes.

Dong: One important thing was that we worked at the same institution. When our first child was born, I handled almost all of Dr. Ota’s classes, along with her work responsibilities and students.

Because of that, in a sense, we were able to absorb everything internally without putting too much burden on the university or department. I think the reason she was able to take a fairly long maternity leave—

Ota: One year, including maternity and childcare leave.

Dong: Right, one full year — was probably only possible because we worked at the same workplace.

Kita: That makes sense. I hadn’t even thought about how classes would need to be managed. So in that way, you were able to balance things well—

Dong: Exactly.

Kita: —while continuing your research activities steadily.

Dong: Yes. That’s definitely one of the advantages of working together in the same place.

Kita: Your children have actually joined SS-F retreats before, and last year they also came to the GALA event, so at this point I honestly feel almost like they’re relatives. (laughs) I feel very close to them.

They’re both so energetic — do they resemble one of you more than the other?

Dong: It really makes me think DNA is amazing. Our older child, our daughter, is completely like me. And our younger son also resembles me. Both their personalities and appearances seem divided that way.

Kita: Mm-hmm, I can definitely see that.

Ota: (laughs)

Kita: I’ve been raising children myself, so I’m always curious about how researchers approach parenting. In ordinary companies, people often work fixed hours, which makes it difficult to handle things outside those schedules. So I wonder whether there’s more flexibility in academic life.

And another thing I’m curious about is your educational philosophy. Especially for you, Dr. Dong — you speak Chinese, you’ve had international experiences, and earlier we talked about America and English. Using language as a tool, and perhaps fostering an interest in science without forcing it on children — what kind of philosophy or approach has led to raising such energetic kids?

Dong: Yes. As you mentioned, university faculty members generally work under a discretionary labor system, so we have a fair amount of freedom in how we use our time. From the perspective of childcare, I think that does make things easier.

Things like taking children to cram school or driving them places are much easier to manage.

As for how we raise our children, first of all, I personally experienced tremendous growth during my teenage years by going abroad — to a foreign country — and having many different experiences. Looking at life over a long span of time, I feel that experience was extremely positive for me. So I want my children to have similar experiences as well. I think firsthand experiences are incredibly important.

That’s why we actively bring them to many different events — retreats, GALA events, and so on.

Kita: So it’s not necessarily just about going overseas, but about giving them many different kinds of experiences?

Dong: Exactly. Including overseas experiences, I think it’s extremely important to encounter different cultures, different experiences, different ways of thinking, and people with different values.

And secondly, since I’m a researcher in computer science, I feel there’s no reason not to make use of the technology and capabilities we already have for education.

So in that sense, I let my children interact with tools like ChatGPT from an early stage. Children are naturally very curious, right?

Kita: They are.

Dong: They ask all kinds of questions — even things that seem obvious to adults.

And when they ask those questions, even if it’s something I could answer myself, I first tell them, “Try asking ChatGPT.”

Kita: Really?

Dong: Even at home. And if they still don’t understand, then we solve it together, or I explain it afterward.

Of course, we’re still physically together in the same space, but that’s part of my philosophy. I think it’s extremely important to nurture the ability to function independently.

The ability to solve problems on your own comes first. Researchers are the same way. When a problem arises, of course you receive help from many people, but ultimately the ability to solve problems yourself is incredibly important. I want them to start developing that ability from childhood.

Kita: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Ota: I see.

Kita: That makes total sense.

Dong: You’re convinced now. (laughs)

Ota: Actually, Dr. Dong is very passionate about education.

Kita: Is he?

Ota: Yes. In our household, all of the educational direction is basically managed by Dr. Dong.

Kita: Wow.

Ota: As for me, I’m fairly ordinary. Recently I’ve just been extremely busy, so I don’t have enough time with the children. So I try to focus on listening to them carefully and spending quality time with them.

As we mentioned earlier, university faculty members do have more flexible schedules than typical office workers. But on the other hand, there’s no real boundary between work and private life. If you want to, you can keep working forever.

So unless you consciously draw that line yourself, you’ll end up working endlessly and losing time with your children. Because of that, I intentionally try to shut work down temporarily — even when something is really on my mind — and focus on valuing time with my children.

Kita: Researchers often talk about how important continuity of thought is — constantly thinking, developing ideas continuously, and so on.

But at the same time, when raising children, sometimes you’re forced to completely stop and shut that thinking off temporarily.

And then you forget things. I do that all the time — “Wait, what was I working on again?” (laughs) It actually becomes stressful.

So I’m curious: how do you return to your research mindset afterward? Does it naturally come back? How do you switch between these two completely different modes of life?

Ota: Honestly, I think you have to be extremely conscious about it.

Sometimes it really surprises me too, but nowadays we always have smartphones. You can check emails anytime, or students send messages asking you to review a paper, and you can immediately look at it.

But if you become absorbed in that, suddenly your child says, “Hey, listen to me!” because you weren’t paying attention.

So even though the smartphone is tempting, I try to consciously ignore it as much as possible.

Kita: Ah, I see.

Ota: If I don’t consciously do that, I’ll just keep thinking about work forever. So for me, it really comes down to awareness and self-control.

Kita: I see. So it depends on being intentional. And I suppose your interest in research itself never really disappears, no matter what.

Ota: Hmm, yes. But for me, I think of it more as work than pure curiosity. Rather than fascination, I feel more of a sense of obligation — that I need to do it.

Of course, maybe an interest-driven approach is better, though.

Dong: Earlier, we talked about “complementarity” in research, right?

Kita: Yes, yes.

Dong: Parenting is exactly the same.

For example, my educational philosophy involves encouraging independence — giving children things to do on their own, setting a certain direction, and guiding them toward it.

But that alone isn’t enough.

Kita: Right.

Dong: It’s equally necessary for someone to listen to them carefully, spend time playing with them, and emotionally support them. And I recognize that Dr. Ota complements that side perfectly.

Both aspects are important. But if either one is missing, you can’t fully succeed. I think that balance is extremely important.

AI Is Not a “Replacement for Humans,” but a “Partner” — Researchers’ Thoughts on Education in the AI Era

Kita: That’s really wonderful. Rather than trying to balance everything alone, the two of you each contribute your strengths and complement one another in raising your children.

There’s one thing I’m especially curious about. Earlier, you mentioned telling your children to ask ChatGPT first. In a way, that seems connected to building their own abilities and capabilities. But at the same time, there are many people who say things like, “Don’t rely on AI too quickly!” Since you, Dr. Dong, are an expert who is deeply familiar with AI, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the significance of incorporating AI into education, especially given all the concerns people raise about it.

Dong: Yes. First of all, my basic premise is that the AI era has already arrived, and rejecting it probably won’t change that reality.

I think it’s similar to the arrival of cars. Once society entered the automobile age, it no longer made sense for humans to focus on trying to run faster than cars. What became important instead was learning how to drive cars properly and safely within a car-based society. Trying to outrun a car through sheer effort in order to reach a destination faster simply isn’t the right way to think about it.

Likewise, in the AI era, there will inevitably come a time when everyone has to use AI. So the important skill is how quickly and effectively you can learn to use it well. I believe that is an extremely important capability.

Since this is also my own field of expertise, I try to think about it consciously and put it into practice in everyday life. There may not yet be one definitive answer, but I think we need to keep exploring it continuously.

Kita: Since both of you work in fields closely related to technology, I imagine you started using AI quite early. Between the two of you, who began using it more actively first? I actually feel like personality probably shows up a lot there.

Ota: I think Dr. Dong is definitely better at adopting new things quickly.

I also use ChatGPT quite a lot, and I’m very much in favor of using AI. After all, it’s a tool — just like computers themselves. I think tools only become meaningful if you can use them effectively, so I believe learning how to use them from childhood is a good thing.

That said, when my children ask me questions, I usually try to explain things myself first. The reason is that I personally feel I’m not very good at explaining things.

Kita: Really?

Ota: At least that’s how I see myself. So when my children ask me something, I treat it as a challenge to see whether I can explain it clearly. I use those moments as practice for myself.

Kita: Wow — your drive for self-improvement appears even there.

Ota: I want to become someone who can explain things well to children.

Kita: Did you know she was setting that kind of challenge for herself?

Dong: I’ve always known she has a strong desire for self-improvement. I think she probably puts in a tremendous amount of effort behind the scenes.

Ota: Thank you.

Kita: So perhaps one of you is more driven by growth and self-improvement, while the other is more driven by excitement and curiosity?

Dong: Yes, I think so. I’m definitely very curiosity-driven. What about you? Are you curious too?

Ota: I am curious, but I think Dr. Dong is even more so. And it’s not only curiosity about things — it’s curiosity about people as well. I think you probably understand that too, Kita-san. He genuinely enjoys talking with all kinds of people, and I think that comes from his natural curiosity.

Dong: That’s true.

Kita: Absolutely. And I get the sense that by talking with people, you’re able to generate entirely new ideas. I’ve noticed there are quite a few Stellar Inventors with that kind of characteristic. Those people absorb information at an incredible rate and transform it into their next resource. It almost feels like they multiply their own abilities twofold, threefold, even fourfold.

We’ve been talking more and more about AI, and earlier you mentioned how important it is to evolve alongside it and learn to use it well. But once we do use AI, what human skills remain essential? What abilities do you think humans should continue developing, even in an AI-driven world?

Dong: That’s a very difficult question.

Kita: I mean, what kinds of work can only humans do? As researchers using AI, what role remains uniquely human? Sorry, it’s a difficult question.

Ota: In the research field right now, one major topic is whether AI can truly be trusted.

AI is still something of a black box. We often don’t know the criteria or reasoning process behind how it arrives at its conclusions. So even if the accuracy is high, people still feel it cannot be fully trusted, which is why human intervention is still considered necessary.

If we could completely understand the reasoning behind AI’s judgments and outputs, then perhaps we could rely on it much more. But even then, the question becomes: who takes responsibility? Ultimately, humans are still the ones who must take responsibility.

So when using AI, the issue of who bears responsibility inevitably arises. I think that’s exactly the turning point we’re facing right now. AI accuracy is improving rapidly, but the real question is how much we can entrust to it.

Dong: I once gave a lecture about education and AI.

Kita: Oh, really?

Dong: Yes.

Kita: I’d love to hear it!

Dong: There are several stages to it.

At first, humans used computer technologies — things like CAD, design software, Photoshop, and so on — as educational tools. Using computers to help create drawings or support learning through information technology has existed for a long time.

But with the emergence of AI — including tools like ChatGPT — the model itself has changed. Now, when we don’t understand something, we ask AI a question and receive an answer directly.

Going forward, I think humans and AI will each have their own roles. Rather than a hierarchy where one is above the other, I see them.more like partners.

In other words, there are things only humans can do, but there are also things AI excels at. The important thing is to acknowledge both sides and use them effectively together. That’s what partnership means.

I think we need to approach AI that way in education as well. As university faculty members and educators, we need to think carefully about how to coexist with AI as a partner.

Kita: So if we can truly make good use of AI, perhaps it will allow us to envision worlds we’ve never even imagined before.

Dong: Exactly. Technology has areas where it excels.

For example, right now we’re recording this interview. Probably none of us here could accurately tell you the exact brightness level of this room. But if we measure it with a machine, we can know the illumination down to precise numerical values. That’s the kind of thing machines are good at.

I think it’s important to incorporate that kind of capability effectively and use it as feedback. Rather than humans simply thinking, “It feels bright,” or “It feels dark,” we can measure it directly with technology.

That’s how I think about it.

Kita: I see. But someone seeing only the numerical value at first glance still wouldn’t intuitively understand what that brightness actually feels like. So we still need to cultivate the human side — the ability to sense and interpret things ourselves — while partnering with machines and using them effectively together.

 

Creating a Future No One Has Seen Yet: The Future of Communication Technology and the Seeds of Research That Could Change the World

Kita: We’ve talked about your current research, education, AI, and many other topics today. Looking ahead, what kinds of ambitions do you have? What sort of society would you like to help realize through your research? Whether it’s ambitious future research or something beyond that, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Ota: One of the core motivations behind my research is the desire to make life a little more convenient and fulfilling.

Right now, I receive a lot of work opportunities and travel frequently for business. But naturally, that means less time with my family and children. So I sometimes think about technologies that could help balance those things better.

If we’re talking about a very distant future, perhaps there could be virtual spaces where even people who are physically far away could feel as though they were right beside each other. Maybe technologies like that could eventually become possible. And I hope wireless communication technologies could help make something like that a reality.

Kita: I thought you were going to say “Anywhere Door” from Doraemon, but your answer was much more scientific. (laughs)

Dong: As for me, I want to continue pursuing research in computer science.

In our field, what people often call the equivalent of the Nobel Prize is the Turing Award — the ACM A.M. Turing Award.

There are many groundbreaking innovations associated with Turing Award winners, but one representative example is actually the computer mouse we use today. The mouse interface feels completely universal and ordinary now, but when it first appeared, it was incredibly impactful and convenient. That kind of innovation is what I aspire to create.

And another thing is that nowadays, one of the tools I use most in my daily research life — or even while studying and learning — is actually YouTube.

Kita: Really?

Dong: When Dr. Ota and I talked about this before, we remembered what YouTube was like when it first appeared. At the time, we honestly wondered whether anyone would even use it. We thought, “Who’s going to upload content? Who’s going to watch it?”

But now, if you search for academic content, you can find keynote lectures, cutting-edge information, and topics from all over the world. You can even find videos showing someone disassembling and rebuilding something as ordinary as this cup. If you want to learn, you can absorb information endlessly.

And yet, when something like YouTube first emerged, nobody really imagined it would become such an impactful force. But now it has completely transformed society and even changed people’s lifestyles.

So I believe that within the field of information science and computer science that we work in, there are probably similar “seeds” or “eggs” hidden among the research we’re doing now — or will do in the future. I don’t know whether they’ll successfully grow or what shape they’ll eventually take.

But I want to continue doing research while holding onto that dream — the possibility that, through long years of experience and effort, something we create might someday become one of those transformative innovations.

Thinking that way makes research enjoyable for me. It gives me a sense of excitement that maybe, in the future, something truly interesting could emerge from what we’re doing now.

Kita: That’s fascinating. It really feels like such a Dr. Dong-like conclusion — very forward-looking and open to embracing new things.

I already knew the two of you had a wonderful relationship, including your family, but hearing this conversation made me realize even more how well your complementary relationship works. And rather than trying to do everything alone, both of you seem to embrace the strengths of one another — and even the strengths of technology itself — in order to maximize your output.

It feels like a healthy little ecosystem is constantly operating between the two of you, and that this ecosystem has led to so many interesting ideas and research projects.

This conversation has been absolutely fascinating. Thank you both so much for joining us today.

Dong & Ota: Thank you very much!

 

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