In 2025, Dentsu Digital Inc. held its first-ever AI Business Ideathon. Each employee leveraged AI to propose diverse ideas, ranging from operational efficiency improvements to new business creation. With over 500 submissions, how did this AI Business Ideathon engage the entire company, and what results did it produce? We asked four members of the organizing committee about the behind-the-scenes mechanisms.
"We want people to use AI as a partner that brings out creativity and a spirit of challenge."
――Please tell us about the background behind holding this AI business idea son.
Hama: Dentsu Digital Inc. has always had a corporate culture with a high level of interest in AI, and we take pride in the fact that each employee is keenly attuned to the new possibilities of AI. As a company, we distributed accounts for AI tools, including ChatGPT, to all employees as of 2023, creating an environment where anyone can freely utilize AI.
However, the reality is that many employees still perceive AI solely as a chat tool. While mastering it as a convenient tool for improving work efficiency is important, that's not its only purpose. We wanted employees to truly realize that AI can also be a "partner" that boosts their creativity and spirit of challenge.
Furthermore, by enabling employees to routinely utilize AI based on such thinking, the company itself could generate new value and revenue streams. This A I Business Ideathon is positioned as a project laying the groundwork for that future.
The only requirement for entry is "utilizing AI."
――Please tell us about the application details for the AI Business Ideathon.
Hama: Since it was our first time hosting, our priority was to make as many employees as possible aware of the AI Business Ideathon and encourage casual participation. Therefore, we set the entry requirements as low as possible. We also chose the name "Ideathon" over "Business Contest" or "Hackathon" to emphasize that "ideas are the starting point and the most important thing."
The challenges were twofold: "streamlining internal operations" and "solving client problems." The only requirement was "utilizing AI." The submission format was also free-form, with no specified templates or required attachments. We deliberately lowered the barriers to encourage a large number of ideas.
Yagi: Our initial KPI target for entries was 100 submissions. The fact that we ultimately received over 500 submissions was largely due to lowering the barriers.
Hama: We held only one company-wide briefing session, but the presentation by Satoru Yamamoto, our Chief AI Officer (CAIO), was highly effective. He demonstrated how AI can instantly bring ideas to life and how ideas can be refined while being scored by AI. His message, essentially saying, "See how easy it is? Everyone should jump in and participate!", dramatically lowered the psychological barrier and led to a significant increase in submissions.
Daily challenges as the driving force. Rediscovering the true potential of Dentsu Digital Inc.
――From 500 total submissions, two rounds of screening narrowed it down to the final five proposals. Could you share the screening process?
Nishiu: In the first round, we selected 40 proposals from the 500 submissions. First, we shared the submissions with approximately 50 AI specialists and AI leaders at Dentsu Digital Inc., who scored them. Simultaneously, we used prompts with defined evaluation criteria to have AI summarize and score the content, adopting a hybrid evaluation approach combining human and AI assessments.
For the second screening, narrowing down from 40 to 5 proposals, we asked each team to resubmit their application materials. Eight AI specialists, including executive judges, reviewed all 40 sets of materials and evaluated each proposal based on its "novelty" and "business contribution."
――So even in the judging process, AI was effectively utilized, but the final selection was made by the AI specialists' eyes. The five passing proposals then underwent the final review presentation. How was the presentation day?
Hama: The final presentation was held in a hybrid format, combining offline and online participation. Approximately 150 people gathered at the offline venue, creating such a lively atmosphere that some attendees had to stand. Many employees came to support their respective teams, and the entire venue was filled with a sense of unity. When the results were announced, many people were moved to tears.
Machi: I believe the meticulous preparation of internal communications also paid off. Awareness was thoroughly established well before the event.
Yagi: The PR team distributed introduction videos for each team starting one week before the final presentation review. These videos were exceptionally well-made, which was a major factor. They effectively conveyed each team's unique character and passion, allowing employees who watched them to become emotionally invested before the actual event. Personally, I found myself moved many times while watching the presentations.
――Looking back on the journey to the final presentation review, what are your impressions?
Hama: Many ideas focused on optimizing Dentsu Digital Inc.'s unique operations, like "Automating Advertising Reports" and "AI × Live Commerce," came from client-facing departments.Beyond that, numerous diverse proposals also came from internal operational departments. Ideas like "AI × Creating a Defined Contribution Pension System that Better Benefits Employees" and "AI × Childcare Support Services" demonstrated how all employees of Dentsu Digital Inc. are seriously confronting daily operational challenges, actively seeking to solve them using AI, and striving to create innovation.
Particularly, the proposals from the teams that made it to the final presentations strongly conveyed this problem-solving mindset, reaffirming Dentsu Digital Inc.'s underlying strength. I feel the AI Business Ideathon served as the first step in translating employees' everyday awareness of challenges into concrete action.
Kentaro Nishiu (Corporate Division, Business Promotion Department), Kojiro Machi (Data & AI Division, AI Business Management Department)
: Bringing Ideas to Life. Top Two Proposals Conduct Workshops in Mongolia
――The top two proposals from the final review presentation advanced to the next step: technical PoC. Please give us an overview of the workshop held atDentsu Data Artist Mongol(DDAM)in Mongolia.
Hama: The top two proposals from the final review presentation held a workshop at DDAM remarkably quickly, just about one week after the final review.
Machi: DDAM employs multiple medalists from the International Mathematical Olympiad and possesses strong AI technology development capabilities. The goal of this workshop was to collaborate with DDAM engineers to concretize and materialize the ideas. Before departure, we finalized discussions on establishing a roadmap, setting targets, and clarifying the value proposition. On-site, we focused on examining key features and conducting a PoC (Proof of Concept) for the core technology.
――How was the collaboration with DDAM?
Machi: About three members from DDAM joined each team. On the first day, representatives shared their "goals." Based on that, we aligned on the direction, created mockups together with DDAM members, and translated them into technical form.
――What are your impressions after the workshop?
Machi: The biggest outcome was that this workshop enabled us to take concrete steps toward realizing our ideas. Furthermore, it was significant to sense that the outputs generated this time could potentially contribute to Dentsu Digital Inc.'s future business growth.
Hama: Currently, only a limited number of departments interact directly with DDAM, and many employees still feel a psychological and physical distance from the "Engineers × Mongolia" setup. However, through this workshop, participating members gained the tangible realization that communicating their ideas to DDAM engineers and having them concretely shape them is "surprisingly easy." Rather than struggling alone, consulting DDAM is faster—that hands-on experience was the greatest takeaway.
――Tell us about the next steps.
Hama: Moving forward, we'll enter the phase of actually implementing and operating the ideas that took shape during the workshop. We plan to build and develop the product, perform an initial release, and then sequentially deploy and operate it within our internal infrastructure. It's crucial that we don't just stop at generating ideas or having an experience in Mongolia; we need to connect these to tangible results.
We want to embed the spirit of "turning ideas into reality" as a core culture.
――What value do you think this AI Business Ideathon brought to Dentsu Digital Inc.?
Nishio: I think the biggest value was creating an opportunity for every employee to personally consider "How can we use AI to generate business ideas?"
Yagi: I agree. It's also excellent that this isn't a one-off event but part of a continuously evolving system. We plan to share even the ideas that didn't make the final cut internally. Ideally, this will spark new projects across departments based on these ideas, enhance our ability to provide added value externally, and improve internal operational efficiency.
Machi: For many employees caught up in daily routines, consciously pausing to engage in creative thinking was highly meaningful. Furthermore, experiencing through the workshop how ideas can materialize quickly, and fostering that image both internally and externally—this positive cycle has become a valuable asset for the company.
――Please share your enthusiasm for next year's AI Business Ideathon.
Hama: We want to embed the spirit of the AI Business Ideathon as part of Dentsu Digital Inc.'s "culture." The second year is crucial for it to become more than a one-off event—to establish it as an annual festival and, ultimately, as an everyday cultural practice. Starting next year, we plan to have members from this year's top two teams participate as judges, creating a system to pass on the spirit of "bringing ideas to life" to the next generation.
Machi: Looking ahead to next year and beyond, we want to solidify this year's outcomes into tangible, lasting achievements. As Mr. Hama mentioned, it's crucial for the AI Business Ideathon to take root as part of our internal culture. I want to contribute to fostering that growth in any way I can.
Previously worked on studio program production for domestic TV broadcasters. Since 2020, engaged in software development, PM, recruitment, and PR at an image AI startup serving manufacturing. Led AI business advancement in the project promotion department. Joined Dentsu Digital Inc. in 2024, responsible for algorithm development and system implementation PM for the STADIA platform (TV-related) systems.
While engaged in media planning operations, I also develop solutions addressing various challenges and needs arising in the field. This includes creating the "Response Connector Dashboard Pro" to visualize the effectiveness of TV commercials and connected TV. My focus extends beyond individual optimization in media planning to broadly achieve marketing efficiency and maximize impact, centered on overall business growth. Master of Engineering (Human Engineering/UX).
In the AI Promotion Group of the Business Promotion Department, primarily responsible for promoting AI utilization within corporate divisions and developing internal inquiry chatbots. With 5 years of experience in HR operations, focuses on improving internal operational efficiency and promoting AI adoption within the company from a multifaceted perspective.
