In the realm of TV content like dramas, it has become a trend for viewers to share content analysis articles and scenario predictions on social media. While protecting content copyright is crucial, the reality is that derivative works created from this content are generating new possibilities and markets.Responding to this trend, Dentsu Group Inc. is conducting a joint proof-of-concept experiment with seven companies called " ghost Link." This initiative uses blockchain-based NFTs (non-fungible tokens) to enable viewers to officially create derivative works of TV content as creators.
This interview features Mr. Junichi Suzuki, Producer at Dentsu Innovation Initiative, Dentsu Group, who is involved in numerous cutting-edge technology projects, including "ghost Link." Following the first part, which covered the background leading to the release of "ghost Link" and the project overview, this second part explores the potential of various NFT business applications and his outlook on the emerging Web3.0 society.
Expanding NFT Influence from Digital to Physical Spaces
Q:In the first part, we discussed "ghost Link" and the path leading to this proof-of-concept. What developments do you foresee for the future?
Suzuki: Over the past few years, we've been advancing initiatives that support the formation of personal identity through NFTs and hardware wallets (devices that store digital assets like cryptocurrency offline) and their utilization. Specifically, we're exploring how to treat personal identity information accumulated via NFTs as credit information, enabling its use as rights exercisable based on individual creditworthiness.One example is an initiative at the summer school hosted by media artist Yoichi Ochiai, who also participated in creating works for "ghost Link."
Last year, children in grades 4 through 6 who participated in Mr. Ochiai's summer school received graduation certificates issued as NFTs upon completion.Participants can prove their attendance by launching an authentication smartphone app and holding an IC card-type hardware wallet against a smartphone equipped with a card reader function. This initiative aims to tokenize educational activity records as NFTs for future use in university admissions, study abroad, and employment. This year, we plan to have the summer school utilize the "ghost Link" system as part of its teaching materials.
NFT Issuance & Incentive Receipt Process
Q: Does this mean children will create derivative works based on the drama content?
Suzuki: 'TOKYOCASE' is horror content, and "Onryo Magatsuhi" is a character that might be a bit challenging for children to handle. Therefore, the material for the summer school will be secondary creations of "Onryo Magatsuhi" produced by Mr. Ochiai using the "ghost Link" scheme. This has a very pop aesthetic, so we'll have them create tertiary creations based on this.Moving forward, we want to create an environment where children can easily and enjoyably create by providing video editing apps and other tools operable on devices they use daily, like smartphones. We also hope to enable them to save the data so they can submit the videos they create as their summer vacation free research projects to school.
Dentsu Group Inc. Mr. Junichi Suzuki
Q: Submitting NFT artworks as school summer vacation projects seems quite unique.
Suzuki: Within the "ghost Link" worldview, we introduced the concept of attaching NFTs using the term "possession." Possession grants various abilities.Currently, it's only the right to create derivative works, but we envision future abilities that impact the real world more directly. For example, lighting turning on or background music changing when a possessed person approaches. By combining IoT technology to create an environment that senses (detects and acquires information from) an individual's NFT, it becomes possible for "some kind of interaction to occur between the NFT and the real world."
How will society change through the utilization of NFTs?
Q: The scenario you mentioned earlier—where owning an NFT causes lights to turn on or BGM to change—is fascinating as an example of NFTs expanding beyond virtual spaces into the physical world. Could you share some more concrete examples of NFT applications you've been working on recently?
Suzuki: First, as briefly mentioned earlier, there's "verification of educational history," such as graduation certificates. Mr. Ochiai's Summer School Attendance Proof NFT can serve not only as proof of extracurricular learning history for future applications but also as a clear incentive—granting priority access to the next Summer School or the ability to transfer that right to others.
Next is real-world application. In a proof-of-concept experiment last year, we distributed an NFT called the "Psychic NFT" exclusively to event attendees. Within the venue, participants could use this NFT to interact with various objects—like turning on lights—confirming that the NFT, seemingly stored in a virtual space (i.e., a smartphone screen), could influence physical objects in the event space (real world).
We also conducted a proof-of-concept experiment using NFTs to certify eco-activity achievements. This mechanism uses NFTs to invigorate community activities, such as the " Tsunagaru Loop " initiative where compost is produced using a home composting unit and utilized in community gardens, and collaborative efforts among local residents, farms, and businesses to realize a food resource recycling society.
In the Kawasaki City pilot, NFTs were used to certify achievements like watering at community gardens or delivering home-made compost to municipal collection points. NFT holders were then invited to events like barbecue parties, where the NFTs served as admission passes to the venue. This demonstrates how NFTs certifying daily eco-activities can function as an incentive mechanism to expand the external economic community of eco-activities.
Q: I hear Kinki University is also conducting a large-scale NFT pilot project now.
Suzuki: Yes. As part of Kinki University's Web3.0 initiative to monetize individual experiences, we launched the beta version of "Updemy " in April 2023. First, during the 2023 entrance ceremony on April 1st, we distributed NFTs to new students as proof of their attendance. Students received these by scanning QR codes displayed on campus posters and large screens.Going forward, we plan to distribute NFTs not only for enrollment certificates but also for various experiences and learning achievements within the university.
Until now, self-created entry sheets have been the primary means of self-promotion for university students during overseas study or job hunting. However, if activities during student life—such as volunteering and extracurricular outreach—can be tokenized as NFTs, they can serve as more objective, understandable, and accurate certificates. Furthermore, they could be used as tools to connect students with shared interests, potentially fostering cross-departmental community building and interdisciplinary research activities within the university.
Q: So, various initiatives are already underway. Finally, could you share your outlook for the future?
Suzuki: The foundation of Web3.0 is said to be a user economy where individuals digitally own and proactively manage all their assets, including activity histories and the credit based on them. However, we haven't yet reached the point of providing services that truly embody this concept.For the mass adoption of NFTs and similar technologies, we need methods to reduce the burden of self-responsibility—the flip side of self-sovereignty. This includes approaches like storing private keys on hardware wallets, such as IC card-type devices, to enhance wallet security, rather than relying solely on NFTs themselves.Furthermore, superior technology alone does not guarantee widespread adoption. Therefore, while leveraging various cutting-edge technologies, we aim to collaborate with diverse sectors—including corporations, educational institutions, local governments, and media—to develop incentives that individuals find beneficial and create simple, user-friendly service pathways.
"ghost Link" has significantly expanded the possibilities for nth-generation content creation. Furthermore, by applying this technology, NFTs are beginning to bring transformation to the education industry and community activities.
If managing and utilizing all information, including personal activity histories, through NFTs becomes commonplace, it could enable the creation of unprecedented businesses and the construction of entirely new societal frameworks.
The information published at this time is as follows.
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).
