Company Head Interview Keiichi Kisamori
Keiichi Kisamori Company Head, assimee Company
Papers in the field of physics ranked in the top 5% in the world (*1) (*1 Altmetric Score) 2016 RIKEN Research Encouragement Award Papers on machine learning selected for top-level international conferences SDM18, AISTATS2020, ECML-PKDD2020, etc. Leader in simulation x machine learning technology Project manager, NEC AIST AI Collaboration Laboratory Chief researcher, NEC Data Science Laboratories - Please briefly tell us about your background.
After graduating from graduate school, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher in physics. I had plans to become a university teacher in the future and had received an offer, but I began to think that I wanted to go out into the outside world. NEC was holding a recruitment briefing session in the middle of winter after the general recruitment period had ended, so I attended and found the company's atmosphere to be good, and I felt like I was a fellow researcher. In the end, I was hired, but it was a huge challenge for me as well, as I had to change my major from academia to a company and my field of study from physics to machine learning kind of research did you conduct at NEC?
At NEC, we were collaborating with AIST in a place called the AIST Collaborative Laboratory within the research institute. At that time, the academic community as a whole was interested in deep learning research, but I was conducting research in an area that was not attracting much attention at the time: technology that combines machine learning and simulation.・What made you join BIRD?
As a result of repeated research within NEC, we were able to advance technological development to a level where commercialization is possible. If we were to follow the standard route, we would hand over the technology to NEC's in-house business division and proceed with the business, but I also wanted to commercialize it myself, so I asked the CTO how I would like to contribute to the world. We discussed whether it would be a good idea to produce results. NEC is also looking for new ways to commercialize the business, and the CTO also suggested that it might be a good idea to introduce it to the world in a new way, so we asked Mr. Kitase, who is currently the CEO of BIRD, to participate as well. This gave us the opportunity to establish it. Now I feel a sense of responsibility as the founder.
・What are your areas of responsibility at BIRD?
Originally, I was in a position to oversee R&D as a researcher, but from October 2021, I have assumed the position of company head of the assimee business. I feel a lot of pressure as I am now responsible for a wide range of aspects of the entire business, including not only R&D but also sales. In particular, I have no experience in business development, and I am desperately trying to take on new challenges like a roller coaster every day. Naturally, there are limits to what one person can do alone, so we rely on team members to assist us in our activities is the appeal of business development?
If you start looking at not only R&D but also sales, orders, etc., the things you can gain from your work will expand. During my time in academia, when I was only doing R&D, it would have been nice to be able to come up with good technology, but now I feel that it's tough to sell things as a business and make money. People won't buy your technology just because it's good, and if you don't tell people about it, they won't use it. Paying attention to and taking responsibility for the contractual relationships needed to establish a business has become an unprecedented challenge. At BIRD, while participating as a management member, you can be active on the front lines of the business. I've always liked working as a player, so I think the biggest appeal of BIRD is that I can do both, even though I'm currently focusing more on management work is the appeal of your current assimee business?
I want digital twins to become commonplace. In the VUCA era, we live in a world where we don't know what will happen. However, it may be too late to deal with the situation once it occurs. Furthermore, we are living in an era where there is even greater demand for reducing the environmental impact of social and economic activities, as stipulated in the SDG'S. Digital twin is generally referred to as ``a technology that reproduces information in real space in cyberspace.'' In particular, in the past few years, it has become possible to perform various simulations in digital space. By finding the optimal solution in digital space, rather than moving real objects through trial and error, it is possible to create highly accurate plans cheaply, safely, and easily. I believe this is the essential value of digital twins. However, building a digital twin can be a very difficult task. Another problem was that the simulation results were too far removed from reality. Until now, the general view has been that a simulation is simply a simplified model of reality, and that it is extremely difficult to match a simulation model to reality, and the number of patterns is enormous. The assimee we developed solves these problems and allows you to easily build a digital twin. In addition, the results will be able to support people's decision-making. I hope that with the spread of assimee, digital twins will become commonplace in the world. Currently, we are focusing on the manufacturing and logistics industries, but we believe that in the future it can be applied to all aspects of business processes.
・What are the characteristics of BIRD's business?
This is something that can be done all at once, from technology development to business. Although there was business-related education at the research institute, I was not able to experience the experience and rigors of actual business. It also means that we can introduce new technology to the world. It is very attractive to turn an algorithm that has never existed into a product into a product. It is truly a blessing in R&D that something we started at the mathematical formula level is recognized as a product with enough value for customers to pay for it. I sometimes feel that the technology I created is like my own child, and the pain of business overlaps with the pain of childbirth, and I am very happy when my technology is recognized and appreciated by the world. I think it is unique to BIRD that we can see everything from the pain of childbirth to the results for our clients.・What kind of organization do you want your team to be?
・What kind of people or businesses would you like to work with in the future?
I feel very strict about starting a new business. However, I believe that we can overcome this situation by working together as a team and working efficiently. Time is often limited in business development, so speed and efficiency are required. Research is sometimes done in teams, but ultimately it is a world of individual performance and individual play. Even if you are unable to publish a research paper, it is your responsibility. However, when you become a business leader, you have severe responsibilities that, in extreme cases, can lead to the collapse of your business or company if you fail to receive orders, which can also affect the lives of your team members. Therefore, it is necessary to have a ``attachment'' to things. I have worked in research, so I have a passion for research and technological development, but business development requires even more ``ability to see things through to the end.'' Rather than relying on team members, I believe that it is necessary to have the ability to see things through on your own, with the cooperation of those involved, and to have the tenacity to act responsibly to achieve results. I would like to work with people who are curious about various things, absorb things outside of their field of expertise, and are committed to the end. Our current goal is to carve out the business as KOTORI. It's a new challenge, and there's no way I can accomplish it on my own. I have spent the past 10 years struggling to build up my career. However, from now on, with the cooperation of various people, I would like to make a further leap from individual play to team play. I would like to do my best to take off as KOTORI in October 2022.
・What are your private activities?
I'm a supporter of Shimizu S-Pulse, and although I don't get to go there often anymore, I used to cheer enthusiastically from behind the goal at the stadium. I used to watch games in Europe during my company's overseas business trips, and I still look forward to watching soccer games is the appeal of soccer?
My only experience with soccer was when I was in elementary school, but I liked the atmosphere of an athletic club and even played water polo in college. Soccer is just a sport, and people can live without it, right? (lol) If you look at it as a living thing, I think it's kind of meaningless, but there's something about it. I think it's very interesting to risk your life and go through all the joys and sorrows. It may be an extreme thing to say, but I believe that we have something in common with our jobs and that we can continue to live even if we are fired from our jobs, even so, we find a certain purpose in living by aiming high. I am. I am the first to join NEC's professional contract system. In terms of professional contracts, I think they are fundamentally the same as artists and athletes, and I am attracted to their attitude of aiming for great heights in one field.