Join us for our April Luncheon with Dr. Hiroaki Kitano, President & CEO of Sony Computer Science Laboratories, as he explores a fundamental shift in innovation: the rise of AI as a scientist. Drawing on his work at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), Dr. Kitano will share a forward-looking perspective on AI-driven research and its implications for business. What once took years may soon take weeks. This session offers key insights for organizations looking to stay ahead in a rapidly changing innovation landscape.
A fundamental shift is underway that may alter the future of our civilization. AI is rapidly emerging as a highly autonomous system to carry out scientific discovery. AI is not just a tool for scientists, but AI has become the Scientist. This talk will present where we stand now and envision the future of AI-driven scientific discovery and their implications for our society.
Hiroaki Kitano, President & CEO of Sony Computer Science Laboratories, has spent his career at the intersection of artificial intelligence and scientific discovery. At his laboratory at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), he is already building it — robot-operated labs where AI systems autonomously generate hypotheses, design and run experiments, and interpret results around the clock, with no human hand required. In this talk, he offers business leaders a clear-eyed view of how this transformation will reshape the economics of innovation across industries.
What took a research team years may soon take weeks. The implications for R&D investment, talent strategy, and industry partnerships are profound. This is a conversation about where the next wave of industrial value will be created – and what forward-looking organizations can do today to be part of it.
| Date: | Wednesday, April 22, 2026 |
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| Time: | 12:00 – 14:00 (D.O. 11:45) |
| Venue: | Grand Hyatt Tokyo, @Residence Anise Minato City, 6-10-3 Roppongi, Tokyo 106-0032 (MAP) |
| Entry Fee: | • Members: JPY 6,500 or 1 SCCIJ voucher 2026 • Non-members: JPY 9,600 |
| Registration: |  Fully Booked (Waiting List Available) Deadline: April 15, 2026, 12:00 JST. |
| Concept: | • This event consists of a 3-course lunch followed by a presentation and a Q&A session. The setting is ideal for networking. • Participants are typically members of the Swiss-Japanese business community, but non-members are also welcome to join. • There is no assigned seating (free seating). • Dress code is business / business casual. |
| Disclaimer: | • The SCCIJ may film and take photographs of this event. If you participate, please be noted that these pictures and videos may be used in various media, such as the SCCIJ website, SCCIJ social networking sites, and SCCIJ promotional materials. If you do not want to appear on these pictures and/or videos, kindly notify the SCCIJ staff at the event. • The views expressed by the speaker(s) do not reflect those of the SCCIJ as an organization. |
| Inquiries: | By e-mail to info@sccij.jp |
Biography of the Speaker
Dr. Hiroaki Kitano is President and CEO of Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc. (Sony CSL). Kitano joined Sony CSL as a researcher in 1993 and has served as President and CEO since 2011. He served as Chief Technology Officer of Sony Group Corporation from 2022 to 2024 and has been Chief Technology Fellow since 2025. As a researcher at Carnegie Mellon University, Kitano built large-scale data-driven AI systems on massively parallel computers, for which he received the Computers and Thought Award from IJCAI. At Sony CSL and California Institute of Technology, he pioneered the field of systems biology. Outside Sony, Kitano is a member of the OECD Expert Group on AI Futures, Japan’s AI Strategy Council and AI Safety Institute. Within academia, he serves as a professor at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST). He is the Founding President of RoboCup Federation. In 2021, Kitano established the Nobel Turing Challenge, a grand challenge to develop a new engine for scientific discovery.
Photo Credits: Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc.
