KubonagaMC Digital is endeavoring to build systems capable of simultaneously addressing a variety of societal challenges, such as by reducing food waste through optimized demand forecasts, realizing greater fuel efficiency by optimizing distribution routes, and achieving general improvements throughout the labor force. MC has connections in so many fields of business, which is a major strength when trying to get the best out of entire industries. We are hoping to build systems that will revolutionize businesses while creating sustainable, environmentally friendly societies in the process. These are the kind of systems that can help everyone to achieve their aspirations.

NakataAdvances in DX will not only address myriad problems, but also play a big part in realizing more resilient societies, or in other words, communities that can both adapt to hardships and recover from them more quickly and effectively. Furthermore, the societal issues that people will have to contend with a decade or two from now will likely be different from those we are faced with today. If we can practically adopt DX in ways that will make our organizations and societies more quick to adapt, then we will be able to respond much more flexibly when those yet-unkown challenges eventually present themselves.

NishiyamaI agree. Essentially, the mission of DX is to use systems and learning repeatedly to adapt to changing environments. It is not about building "hard" systems that are meant to address outstanding issues with set-in-stone solutions, but rather about developing "soft" systems that can be more flexibly applied to different problems or approaches. An important concept in DX is the creation of mechanisms that can employ the power of software to seek out best practices, and that approach is critical to addressing societal challenges of the modern era, when decisive changes are taking place throughout the world. You could even say that it is equally critical to making companies and industries more competitive.

NomuraThere are times when I feel that AI and other software systems are almost living, breathing entities. Ecosystems that continue to exist in the natural world do so because they are capable of playing their survival by ear, so to speak. They have the ability to adapt quickly, despite the dizzying pace of change in their surrounding environments. Software systems are similar in that they can adapt swiftly and flexibly to data and restrictions that are changing from one day to the next. That, and their ability to grow in the process, are why they are so important.

KubonagaI think that many new services will be developed for today's businesses, but the main difference will be their ability to facilitate connectivity, meaning how capable they are at meeting needs that cut across those businesses. Working styles will also change, and some of the most valuable and coveted resources will be the people, AI and software who are best equipped to lead their businesses towards that new normal of connectivity.

NishiyamaThe way I see it, DX has the power to liberate people. Take our working styles for example. Up to now, we have been confined to the metaphorical "boxes" of our companies and organizations, where we are basically ordered to work certain ways and within certain hours. But the more progress that is made in digital transformations, the less we will need to enter those boxes in order to collaborate and form teams with those who share our same objectives. The DX evolution demands the capacity to identify both problems and solutions, and that applies not just to software, but to people as well. Obviously this will have a huge impact on how we work, and as a consequence will also shape how we study, dwell, and live our lives in general.

NomuraNeedless to say, it is important for people to be more competitive and efficient, but I would like DX to help take us one step further, to realize a world that generates more time for us to pursue and enjoy the most creative livelihoods possible. My hope is that one day everyone can aspire to become the "artists" who design our societies and enrich them through all that we do. MC Digital and MC share the same vision of a world where each and every member of society can thrive, and we will continue to promote DX projects that can help make that world a reality.

NakataAs digital transformations gather momentum, more and more people will start to question the nature and usefulness of their work. They will also become more aware of their aims and how significant those aims will be for society, which I think will give more purpose to their work and inspire them. I would like us to build societies that enable people to focus on the things they are really good at. We can leave all of the data compiling and computational work to the machines, as they are better at those things anyway.

KubonagaOur mission at MC Digital is to reform businesses, and by doing so, help to solve problems in industry and society at large. We remain dedicated to encouraging change in Japan, one company and one sector at a time, so that we can make a meaningful, positive contribution to all of the world's industries.