【終了】 with alliz: The AI Era – Beyond the Buzz ~ AIとどう向き合う？リアルな活用と限界 ~
Event Overview
How much do you really understand about the AI you use every day? And what would a day without it even look like?
Join us for a unique, story-based event that goes beyond the common talk to explore the real-world uses and limits of AI in our work and lives. Our speakers will offer three distinct perspectives on this rapidly changing field.
First, we will discuss how AI is being used in modern tech workplaces. This will be followed by a research view on how AI acts as a helpful tool, assisting businesses and individuals with anticipating trends and making better decisions. Finally, a startup's perspective on using AI to diagnose human skills through conversation.
This event is for anyone—from AI fans and startup teams to students and professionals—who wants to move past the common talk and truly understand what AI can do and where its limits are.
Member profile registration is required for first-time participants.
【終了】 with alliz: The AI Era – Beyond the Buzz ~ AIとどう向き合う？リアルな活用と限界 ~
Who is this for
- AI & Innovation Enthusiasts interested in AI's real-world applications
- Startup Founders and Teams seeking to leverage AI for business growth
- Professionals and Students curious about AI's role in a tech career
- Professionals and Students looking for mentorship and networking opportunities
- Startup Community Builders looking to network with innovators
Speaker and Topic
Speaker 1: Snehal Shinde, Director, Product Engineering, Mercari
Snehal is the Engineering Director at Mercari, where she leads cross-functional collaborations and drives a culture of innovation. She guides product engineering teams to develop effective solutions. Snehal enjoys mentoring and promoting growth.
Topic: Leading with AI: An Engineering Director’s Journey (Minus 30% Meetings)
We’ll explore the evolving role of AI in engineering leadership. Snehal will share real-world experiences of integrating AI into team workflows—highlighting the wins, the challenges, and the occasional surprises. Many lessons on balancing automation with human judgment, fostering innovation, and rethinking collaboration in an AI-powered world. The session offers both inspiration and actionable insights for leaders/members navigating the AI era.
Speaker 2: Lei Sun, AI Researcher, ex-Microsoft
PhD-level AI researcher and data scientist, formerly at Microsoft, focusing on search and recommendation. Expert in AI agents, NLP, LLMs, and knowledge graphs, with publications in top NLP conferences. Passionate about turning cutting-edge research into impactful real-world AI solutions, while actively mentoring and contributing to professional communities.
Topic: The AI Compass: Navigating Choices in an Uncertain World
Imagine having a smart assistant that can scan mountains of data in seconds, highlight trends, and summarize insights for you. Today, AI is mostly playing this role—generating reports, analyzing patterns, and providing decision support—rather than making decisions on its own. In this talk, we’ll explore fascinating real-world examples of AI helping businesses and individuals anticipate trends and explore possibilities. We’ll also look ahead to how AI might evolve to become an even more powerful partner in guiding smarter, data-informed decisions, while keeping its limitations in mind.
Speaker 3: Yoichi Matsuyama, CEO, Equmenopolis Inc.
Yoichi Matsuyama is the Co-Founder and CEO of Equmenopolis, Inc. and a Visiting Associate Professor at Waseda University. He specializes in developing computational models of human conversation, integrating AI, linguistics, social science, and human-agent interaction. Before his current role, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University. His work has garnered attention from major media outlets, including MIT Technology Review, The Washington Post, BBC, Nikkei, and NHK. Dr. Matsuyama holds a B.A. in cognitive psychology and media studies, and both an M.E. and Ph.D. in computer science from Waseda University, earned in 2005, 2008, and 2015, respectively.
Topic: Unlocking Human Potential with AI: Diagnosing Human Skills Through Conversation
What if AI could truly understand people — not just automate tasks, but diagnose abilities, support learning, and nurture growth through conversation? In this session, we'll introduce our work at Equmenopolis on conversational diagnostic AI agents that engage users in spoken dialogue, interpret multimodal signals, and provide high-precision assessment and adaptive support. With LANGX, our language learning AI system, we'll highlight how AI can evaluate complex human capabilities and respond with meaningful guidance.
Timetable
Important Information
Application: The event is free to attend and will accommodate up to 50 participants. You need to fill in a short form required by the venue after registration on alliz website. Then you will receive a calendar invitation confirming your registration. Please register by Tuesday, September 30th, 2025, to secure your spot.
Livestream: A livestream will be available, and no registration is needed to join.
Refreshments: Light refreshments will be provided; please manage any allergies accordingly. You are welcome to bring your own snacks and soft drinks.
Language: The event will primarily be conducted in English. During networking time, conversations in both English and Japanese are welcome.
Photography: Photos and videos may be taken during the event and could be used for promotional purposes on alliz’s website and social media. By signing up for this event, you permit us to use these photos and videos. If you do not want to be photographed but still wish to attend, please contact alliz.
Schedule: The event schedule is subject to change on the day.
Contact: For any event-related inquiries, please contact alliz via email at event@alliz.jp.
Host & Supporter
Host: alliz
alliz is a member-led career mentorship community dedicated to helping students and early-career professionals with career design and development in Japan. Through events, mentorship, and shared learning, we foster connections that inspire personal growth, skill development, and long-term success in the tech industry.
Event Space Supporter: Google for Startups Campus
Google for Startups Campus locations around the world are vibrant innovation hubs where everyone involved in each city's startup ecosystem can gather. There, startups grow through technical training, technical mentoring, business support provided by Google, and a community where diverse entrepreneurs and startups come together. It's a coworking space for founders, a place to connect with others and Google employees, and to increase their chances of success. Campus Tokyo, located in Shibuya, the center of Tokyo, was created to function as a hub for innovation throughout Japan.
Food & Drinks Sponsor: Build+
Technology changes the world. People make it happen. At Build+ (formerly Wahl+Case), we connect professionals to opportunities in tech, including AI, data science, gaming, and software engineering. We help you build a meaningful career because when the right people and the right companies come together, you can change the world.
Photography Sponsor: E’s Eye
Estelle Etourneau is originally from Bordeaux, France, and has been living in Japan for over 12 years. While drawing required a kind of discipline that didn’t resonate with her, photography offered a more immediate and intuitive way to create. What began as a way to preserve cherished moments with family and friends has grown into an important form of expression.
Today, through the lens, E’s Eye, the creative lens of Estelle, captures the world as she sees it. Though not a professional photographer, E’s Eye is honored to be part of Alliz’s journey and grateful for the trust she placed in immortalizing these events.