Ten people, ten ways of thinking [4]──Is Mr. Junichi Suzuki a "stubborn" person?
October 2023. Web Dentsu Inc. reached its 10-year milestone. We wanted to create a special "serialized feature" to mark this 10th anniversary. What we arrived at was the theme "10 People, 10 Colors" – could we offer wonderful content under this concept? If we were to put it grandly, perhaps we could call it diversity.
When we want to immerse ourselves in thought or try to squeeze out ideas, we need our own unique "companions" (indispensable items). For the great detective Sherlock Holmes, these would be his beloved "pipe" and "violin."
This series invites various individuals to share their own "personal companions for thought." We hope you'll enjoy discovering their unexpected sides while pondering "thoughts about thinking."
(Web Dentsu Inc. Editorial Department)
Guest for Part 4: Junichi Suzuki (Dentsu Inc. Innovation Initiative)
──Speaking of Mr. Junichi Suzuki, he's someone who could be called a key architect of our times, having previously worked on the IT infrastructure for the social city "Grand Front Osaka" and being active as a specialist in the blockchain field.
Suzuki: Nice to meet you. I feel a bit embarrassed that someone like me, a "stubborn old curmudgeon," was invited.
──"Oddball"? We'll get to that later (laughs). You've always researched cutting-edge IT. During the Grand Front Osaka project, you viewed IT not as something merely convenient and impersonal, but as a means for "people to connect with each other." Now, a decade later, what kind of era have IT and blockchain entered?
Suzuki: In a word, I believe we're in an era where IT is "a tool for people to become aware of their own identity."
In 2017, he launched the international conference "Table Unstable" with CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) and others. Since then, he has sought solutions to social challenges like climate change and folk crafts by integrating traditional knowledge with advanced science and technology. As a spin-off activity, he promotes the outreach program "Yoichi Ochiai Summer School," aimed at training researchers. Also serves as: Innovators Under 35 Japan | MIT Technology Review Advisory Board, Visiting Associate Professor at the Open University of Japan, Director of the Blockchain Promotion Association (BCCC).
──Identity? I imagine concepts like "authentic self" or "proof of existence," but how does this connect to blockchain and IT?
Suzuki: Grand Front Osaka was essentially IT within a city. Back then, high-capacity communication required wired LAN environments, and digital signage was the primary in-city media. Ten years later, with smartphones and Wi-Fi now ubiquitous, IT has expanded to encompass people. Consequently, the behavioral and awareness data people generate has increased dramatically. Corporate digital marketing advanced, enabling targeting approaches based on personal data. For example, searching for mountains might trigger outdoor gear information or ads. But for the individual, it can feel a bit off, you know?
──Is there a slight sense of unease?
Suzuki: That's part of it. For the individual, it feels like someone is arbitrarily labeling them based on one aspect they saw—"You're someone who likes the outdoors," "You're someone who prefers high-end things." After all, your values and awareness differ depending on the time and place—friends, family, work... And with the rise of digital communities, people have become more multifaceted. Information that focuses solely on one aspect becomes "noise," and you start thinking you don't want your data shared.
Instead, you decide for yourself what data is "acceptable to share" with companies. From that data, your latent needs are understood, and truly valuable information is delivered to you through trustworthy channels. Then it becomes "advice," not "noise," right?
──But people often don't know themselves as well as they think. Conversely, isn't there also a need to "want someone to understand me"?
Suzuki: Yes, the world's information is becoming increasingly complex, and it's difficult to decide what personal data is acceptable to share based on the person or situation. That's where blockchain technology comes in—it can automatically restrict your data. Additionally, smart contracts, which automatically execute predetermined actions when specific conditions are met, can be very useful.
──I see.
Suzuki: The key is having an objective observer. In other words, it would be great to have a "personal agent." One that identifies your latent needs to help you become a better version of yourself in the near future. It would objectively understand and delve into what you feel anxious about, what you seek, what makes you happy... an entity that helps you recognize your identity.
Suzuki: In today's world where needs, values, and information have become complex, I believe having someone who understands you—a presence dedicated solely to you—is essential for human happiness. Just as the cat-shaped robot was for the boy with glasses.
──I see. So the agent exists solely for the individual, not for corporate business.
Suzuki: Exactly. I believe technology truly comes alive in private life. That's where DX is needed. For example, ChatGPT, which became a huge topic, isn't amazing because it boosts work efficiency. Its real power lies in meeting niche private needs, like drafting divorce mediation documents. Technology that doesn't create that "This thing actually gets me!" groove has no sustainability. Going forward, I believe the implementation of technology will increasingly prioritize whether individuals feel that connection over corporate-focused cost-cutting or labor-saving performance.
A "companion for thought" is something that helps you identify who you should meet (Junichi Suzuki)
──Before we get into specifics about "companions for thought," if such a thing exists for you, Suzuki, what exactly would it be?
Suzuki: "Something that helps you determine who you should meet"... I suppose. I love people and place great value on meeting and talking with them. Meeting people dramatically increases the resolution of challenges and ideas. For example, when eating a meal, haven't you ever thought, "I wonder what kind of person grew this vegetable"?
──Yes, absolutely. Ever since labels started saying "I grew this," I find myself thinking about it even more.
Suzuki: I'm stubborn, so I don't stop there—my thoughts just keep branching out everywhere. "What kind of person grows this vegetable?" "Come to think of it, I don't know much about farmers' lifestyles." "Do farmers who grow winter vegetables have free time in summer?" "Which is better for nature and the ecosystem—summer or winter vegetables?" "Speaking of which, at the supermarket..." and so on.
──So at that point, the journey of thought has already begun?
Suzuki: Exactly. But the goal of that thinking is "meeting people." When you actually meet a farmer and talk to them, things like "We actually play around in the summer" or "The agricultural supply chain actually works like this" suddenly become crystal clear—things I hadn't even considered. It's the same with technology. It's about seeing the "people" beyond the function. The presence of a third party who poses questions challenging my own values or existing narratives liberates me to think in new ways.
That's why "who you meet" is incredibly important. You could say "I think to find the people I should meet." As you deepen your thinking in various directions, you get this feeling where it just clicks: "I should meet this person." That's what a "thinking companion" is, I suppose.
What is Junichi Suzuki's "companion for thought"?
──Now we come to the main topic. Could you tell us about your specific "companion for thought"?
Suzuki: Simply put, it's "another version of myself."
──I-I see...?
Suzuki: To be precise, it's the version of me inside my head—curious, eager to meet all sorts of people, and prone to running wild. I, the master, observe this objectively and calmly. That's how the "sensor me," eager to meet various people, and the calm "actuator me," the master, exchange words and find "This is the person I should meet right now!"
For example, let's say I'm thinking about a blockchain technology called "Account Abstraction." This technology improves security and usability by abstracting accounts on the internet. But then I start wondering, where did this abstract concept even come from...? I immediately suppress that urge to meet someone about it and deepen my thinking.
──Hmm, hmm. (This is getting complicated...)
Suzuki: When you say "abstraction," abstract painting comes to mind—characterized by the disappearance of contour lines and vivid color expression. Cubism, with its multi-perspective depictions, had a huge influence. What about from an art history perspective? This time, suppressing the urge to meet every art historian I could find, I researched and arrived at a person named Matsui Hiromi. She argues that the essence of Cubism lies not in the conventional view of it as "a reform of perspective that captures the shape of an object seen from diverse angles within a single canvas," but rather in "a shift from seeing an object to knowing it."
This leads to the idea that Cubism is fundamentally about the "problem of cognitive mechanisms" – how, as artists experimented with incorporating subjects onto canvas, they increasingly turned their attention inward to the cognitive structures within their own minds. Indeed, I realized that the essence of managing IDs self-sovereignly using blockchain isn't about seeing "Account = Self," but rather that "Abstraction = Knowing" is the true nature. Only then did it finally connect to "Account Abstraction." Only after reaching that point through dialogue with another self did I finally think, "Alright! Let's go meet Matsui-san!"
──Sorry, I don't quite grasp the technical details... but I think I get the image you're painting, Suzuki-san: that you have this "agent" within you, and it deepens your thinking.
Suzuki: Indeed, that "other self" I use as a companion in my thinking might be the same as the "agent" mentioned at the beginning. It's about that being internalized.
If we can master this agent, it can deepen the thinking of us humans, its masters. In that sense, you could say I'm currently trying to create "technology to deepen human thought."
──It all connects! People say that as technology advances, we won't need to think anymore, but precisely because of that, "thinking" becomes a very luxurious thing.
Suzuki: Exactly. Just zoning out and thinking might be seen as negative by traditional standards, but it's a crucial act linked to personal happiness and richness. If we gave up thinking, life would be utterly dull. Thought is our privilege. Even if others call me "a stubborn old curmudgeon," I won't give this up (laughs).
──It seems like you enjoy pondering things like, "I wonder what kind of person my agent is."
Suzuki: The thoughts never end, do they?
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Junichi Suzuki
Dentsu Group Inc.
In 2017, he launched the international conference body "Table Unstable" with CERN and others. Since then, he has attempted to solve social issues such as climate change and folk crafts by integrating traditional knowledge with advanced science and technology. As a spin-off activity, he promotes the outreach program "Yoichi Ochiai Summer School," aimed at training researchers. He concurrently serves as a member of the MIT Technology Review Advisory Board for Innovators Under 35 Japan, a Visiting Associate Professor at the Open University of Japan, and a Director of the Blockchain Promotion Association (BCCC).
