"Umami," "kinetic energy," and "I love you" – all can be expressed through technology: Will Turneage

Kida: We classify flavors into elements like "sour" or "cheesy," turning them into "data," then "design" colorful pie charts based on their proportions. There's also "technology" that suggests recipes based on your preferences when you input your likes and dislikes. You can see all three elements are present.

Will: The client is McCormick, the spice company.

Kida: Will, you also worked on developing the Nike+ Fuel Band at your previous advertising agency, R/GA. It uses motion sensors to instantly calculate calories burned, measure activity levels and steps, and convert your exercise data into "data." That data is displayed as colorful "designs" on apps and websites, and it also includes "technology" that lets you set personal goals or compete with friends. By quantifying previously invisible exercise and converting it into visible graphics, it provides motivation to exercise.

Now, tell us about your career path. You first worked at Sony Music Entertainment before moving to an advertising agency. What significance did moving from the client side to the agency side hold for you?

Will: I never thought of it in terms of "ad agency or not." My constant focus was on proposing innovative, forward-thinking work to clients. At Sony Music Entertainment, my "clients" were record labels and artists. Each had goals and an audience they wanted to reach.

Back then (around the turn of the millennium), digital was fundamentally transforming the music industry. I was fully focused on figuring out how to build connections with listeners. This mindset is very similar to that of an advertising agency, so the transition felt natural.

 

Guiding clients toward their future potential

Kida: Next, let's talk about Inamoto & Co., where Will became Director of Technology this year. I understand it's a company that creates new businesses using the three forces of design, data, and technology. Your website mentions "Business Invention Studio" – what does that mean?

Will: We call it the Business Invention Studio to declare our commitment to taking clients' businesses where they should be headed. It's not just about solving their current problems, but also envisioning new business possibilities and revenue structures, guiding clients toward their ideal future state.
Additionally, since Inamoto & Co. receives investment from Digital Garage, which operates internet businesses and provides corporate support, we have the opportunity to work with companies possessing cutting-edge technologies that Digital Garage invests in.

 

Will the day come when we show love with Bitcoin?

Kida: I understand Inamoto & Co. believes that as AI replaces human jobs, the only thing humans can do is start businesses. Among your skills, Will, what can't be replaced by AI?

Will: Machines excel at repeating simple tasks over and over. Humans excel at getting used to things and coming up with different ways to do them. Computers are ahead of us in what we can do "right now," but humans are better than machines at creating entirely new approaches.

Kida: By the way, Will, I think you have deep insight into the topic of "Technology × Ideas." I still remember what you said at SXSW in 2013 about brainstorming. It was about approaching ideas from two angles: the concept of the project and what technology can make possible.
What defines a good idea using technology for you, Will?

Will: It's an initiative where the technology is so perfectly matched to the idea that you can't separate the two. I believe in the concept from Arthur C. Clarke's Third Law: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

Kida: Recently, various new technologies, starting with AI (artificial intelligence), have been emerging one after another. What topics are you interested in when looking at technology and creativity?

Will: Like everyone else, I'm interested in machine learning, artificial intelligence, language analysis, and cryptocurrency. But rather than pursuing the fundamentals of technology, I focus on how to apply these technologies to the real world in ways that resonate with people. Consider a simple example: love locks.