YAMAGATA Corporation and the Harmonious Engineering Laboratory of the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology at Hokkaido University have concluded a joint research agreement concerning "next-generation manuals" designed for all generations and literacy levels. In July 2023, the project began its first phase: the analysis and validation of existing manuals.

Purpose of the Joint Research

This joint research aims to contribute to improving information accessibility and comprehensibility, centered on the following three pillars:

1. Research on methods of expression in manuals

2. Study of clear and lucid expressions

3. Utilization of AI technology

Manuals are essential tools for conveying how to use products and services, but the inclusion of technical jargon and complex procedures can make them difficult for some users to understand. Therefore, we will jointly research new methods to create manuals that are easy for a wide range of users to use.

Content of the Joint Research

In this joint research, we will leverage AI technology to conduct research and practical experiments on manual expressions that consider the user's age and literacy level, as well as to study clear and lucid language. The study of easy-to-understand expressions will have a significant impact not only on manuals but also on the broader fields of communication and information dissemination. Our objective is to promote the use of clear expressions that enable people to effectively understand information and translate it into appropriate action.

YAMAGATA's Role

YAMAGATA will collect big data, including sentences and inappropriate expressions identified by our technical writers as needing improvement, and use this as material for enhancing manuals. Leveraging our many years of knowledge and experience in manual writing, we will propose user-friendly manuals while also designing prompt engineering for AI-powered document creation, aiming to demonstrate effective manual authoring techniques.

Role of the Harmonious Engineering Laboratory

The Harmonious Engineering Laboratory aims to develop information-transfer methods with an information structure suited to user needs by integrating artificial intelligence technology with complex systems engineering to study "methods and approaches for improving the comprehensibility of manuals" and "the modeling of information flow." The laboratory is also known for developing the "AI Issa-kun," a haiku generation system that utilizes AI technology. This research demonstrates the ability of artificial intelligence to understand natural language and generate creative expressions, and it will be a significant contribution to our joint research.

Researcher Profiles

The joint research will involve Professor Hidenori Kawamura, Associate Professor Tomohisa Yamashita, and Assistant Professor Soichiro Yokoyama from the Harmonious Engineering Laboratory.

Professor Hidenori Kawamura

Engaged in research on artificial intelligence, multi-agent systems, complex systems engineering, and tourism informatics. He has published numerous papers on artificial intelligence and multi-agent systems. He is a member of the Information Processing Society of Japan, the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence, the Operations Research Society of Japan, and the Society for Tourism Informatics, and serves as a director of the Society for Tourism Informatics. He also writes the "Hidenori Kawamura's AI Insights" series for the Nikkei MJ newspaper.

Associate Professor Tomohisa Yamashita

Engaged in research on artificial intelligence, multi-agent systems, social system simulation, and pedestrian flow analysis. He is a member of the Information Processing Society of Japan, the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence, and the Operations Research Society of Japan.

Assistant Professor Soichiro Yokoyama

Engaged in research on combinatorial optimization and scheduling problems. He is a member of the Information Processing Society of Japan and the Operations Research Society of Japan.

Research Institution Overview

Name: Harmonious Engineering Laboratory, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Hokkaido University
Location: Kita 14, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0814, Japan
Research Content: The laboratory conducts a wide range of research in fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, deep learning, game theory, multi-agent systems, data mining, and combinatorial optimization, with a focus on connecting these fields to social applications. Its primary goal is to contribute to the well-being of people and the harmony of society, and it engages in practical research in collaboration with numerous companies.
URL: http://harmo-lab.jp/

Information regarding the progress and results of this joint research will be released as it becomes available. For media inquiries or more detailed information, please contact us via the "Inquiries" link above.