While Japan is worried about the shortage of AI talent, Daikin is developing its own program

OSAKA (Reuters) – The situation in Japan and the government is panicking. The 3rd world economy does not have enough experts in artificial intelligence and it is time to react.

SoftBank Group Corp (9984.TLast month, CEO Masayoshi Son lamented the current situation, calling Japan a "developing country" in the most important technological revolution of the day.

In June, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe unveiled a plan to train 250,000 people in AI techniques by 2025, but one of them was criticized for his lack of realism due to lack of teachers. Tech heavyweights like Sony Corp (6758.T) are paying for good hires and are boosting the recruitment of foreign engineers.

But Daikin Industries Ltd (6376.T), the world's largest manufacturer of air conditioners with a market value of $ 37 billion, takes a more unusual path to AI know-how.

To the disadvantage of large technology companies to attract the best talent, he created an internal program that involves new graduates and current employees – almost all without AI experience – and trains them.

His goal is to familiarize 1,000 employees with AI by 2022. According to Daikin, it is one of the most ambitious AI-specific training programs in the world. A Japanese company.

"We have a sense of a crisis, because we do not have computer experts, while AI and data badysis are in great demand," Yuji Yoneda, director of the Technology Center, told Reuters. of innovation from Daikin.

Daikin sees artificial intelligence as an essential part of its future business model, in which it plans to offer subscription services with air conditioners running on artificial feeds that adjust the temperature and air quality in ways that autonomous to improve the efficiency of factories and households.

"Just as car manufacturers are promoting the concept of mobility as a service, we will promote air as a service by providing a variety of air services," he said.

New employees get the most training with a two-year program. The first generation of 100 graduates hired last year took courses taught by professors from Osaka University for about six months, the remainder of the first year being devoted to the following year. data badysis and group work. This year, they have been badigned to various departments for on-the-job training on AI.

Daikin declined to comment on the cost of his program.

By way of comparison, Sony offers its engineers 290 courses, including courses on AI, lasting from a few hours to several days.

Daikin also wants to hire more Indian and Chinese engineers, but explains his difficulties in the United States, where he has to offer hundreds of thousands of dollars to attract graduates of his choice. In addition, he is seeking to increase the salaries of artificial intelligence experts in order to increase their loyalty to the company.

LAGGING JAPAN

The misfortunes of AI in Japan can be exaggerated. According to the 2019 report of the World Intellectual Property Organization on technological trends, 12 of the top 20 AI patent firms are Japanese. Toshiba, NEC Corp (6701.T), Panasonic Corp (6752.T), Sony and Toyota Motor Corp. (7203.T).

But compared to the United States, which issued a national plan for developing AI in 2016, and to China, which unveiled plans to become a global leader in AI. here in 2025, Japan is lagging behind.

The combined investments of Japanese governments and businesses in information and communication technology amounted to 16.3 billion yen ($ 150 billion) in 2017, up 12 percent from 1994 , according to data from the Japanese government. In contrast, US investment in the sector more than tripled over the same period to $ 655 billion.

Japanese universities have also been criticized for not doing enough in the field of AI and data science. The Ministry of Industry estimates that Japan lacked 220,000 information technology workers in 2018, a figure that could reach 790,000 in 2030, a prediction that prompted Abe's plan to train every year 250,000 people in the IA.

In contrast, the report of the World Intellectual Property Organization indicates that Chinese organizations represent 17 of the top 20 academic actors in AI patents.

LIFTING PAY

Hitoshi Matsubara, Vice President of Future University Hakodate and expert in artificial intelligence, said Japan needed to invest more, make IT jobs more attractive, and get rid of the mentality that most employees of the same age should be equally.

"In Japan, it has long been thought that IT jobs are labor intensive, low paid and working late at night. If they are as well paid and rewarding as in the United States and China, the information sciences would become more popular among students, "he said.

It's starting to change.

This year, Sony started offering up to 7.3 million yen starting salaries to qualified postgraduate students in areas such as AI, compared to its standard starting salary of 6 million yen. Toshiba has also reviewed its pay system, which has allowed it to offer higher salaries to people with AI and Internet of Things expertise.

Line Corp Conversation Application Operator (3938.T), which is diversifying in the fields of fintech and AI, has also increased to 8 million yen the annual compensation of the best graduates, against 5.5 million yen for the least qualified engineers. It is also a major recruiter of foreign engineers, who represent 37% of its 670 engineers in Japan.

Sony is also expanding its network with preferred recruitment sites, including Carnegie Mellon University, Tsinghua University, and the Indian Institute of Technology.

"Competition for IT talent – whether new graduates, mid-career workers or foreign workers – is becoming increasingly difficult," said Kazunari Ikeyama, Head of Human Resources Division. from Sony. "We are expanding our field of action not only in Japan, but around the world as well."

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