eSOM
The Road to D, or the Story of Singularity High School (SHS) and Cowa
2025.05.09
eSOM: The Road to D, or the Story of Singularity High School (SHS) and Cowa (13) Computational Thinking as an Ability and Qualification to Master AI as Your Own Brain, Things I Want You to Achieve While Enrolled at SHS, and the “Hiroshima Mobility World”
1.(Contunited from “eSOM: The Road to D” (12)) So, what are the necessary abilities and qualities to “master AI as an extension of one’s own brain” and to “become a Vagabond (an inquiry-based learner)”? It goes without saying that it is the “ability and quality to create appropriate prompts (instructions)” for AI. To create appropriate prompts, one must first be able to set their own tasks. As I wrote in my blog when I was the principal of a kindergarten, which I introduced last time, this is what people who have received Japanese public education are most weak at. SHS aims to nurture individuals who excel at this. So, how can one become proficient at setting up one’s own tasks by oneself? First, it is necessary to clarify what one’s own “flow” (a state where one can become deeply absorbed, forgetting time) is. To do this, one must first understand what kind of state “flow” refers to. At SHS, the “稽古 (keiko, or training)” for this is conducted through calligraphy. What should be done next? Actually, what should be done next relates to the “reconstruction of one’s own brain,” but I will leave that for the next time and move on for now. Once one understands what a state of flow is, the next step is to find work in which one can be in a flow state as much as possible. This is because it leads to one’s well-being (a state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy) throughout life. SHS’ goal is to “nurture individuals who can achieve the well-being of individuals (oneselves) and society (SDGs).” To achieve this, one must first achieve their own well-being, and for that, it would be ideal if one’s flow is connected to work that is needed in society in this coming era (the AI era). Finding work that is needed in society in the AI era and in which one can enter a flow state. From now on, let’s call such work “flow work.” What is your own “flow work”? To find it is the first task that should emerge for all SHS students. They will explore this with SHS’ facilitators and AI as an assistant. Once this becomes somewhat clear, the next task that should emerge is to clarify “what needs to be done” to engage in that “flow work.” With this “second task,” a certain path after graduation should become visible. And the final “third task” should be “what should be done now, while enrolled at SHS,” to pursue the “Road to flow work” that became visible through solving the second task. Decisions about course selection and extracurricular activities will contribute to solving this task. Let’s review the “first to third tasks”: First task: What kind of work (flow work) is needed in the AI era that fulfills my flow? Second task: What needs to be done to engage in your “flow work”? Third task: Based on the solution to the second task, what should I do while enrolled at SHS? Thinking in this sequential manner is called “Computational Thinking.” This particular skill is the most important thing we want SHS’ students to acquire while at the school. “稽古 (training)” to acquire it will be conducted with AI and facilitators as “師範 (masters/mentors).” That is what SHS does for you. 2. Facilitators, as “師範,” should also strive harder than anyone else in their “稽古” to pursue their own “Road to becoming Vagabonds.” Therefore, I, as the “principal who is a facilitator of facilitators,” must strive in my own 稽古 to be a role model for all students and facilitators. Needless to say, my flow is in constructing SHS, and I pride myself on the fact that this is also “work needed in the AI era.” I believe I have been working on “what needs to be done” (the second task) to carry out this work through my academic life of over 30 years. Furthermore, as a solution to the “third task,” based on the accumulation of knowledge and skills in my academic years, I am currently relearning fields outside my area of expertise and incorporating them into the curriculum to build “international standards for education suitable for the AI era by the United Nations.” However, these things may not be relatable or helpful for SHS students, while these may be for the facilitators. So, I thought about it. Besides “constructing SHS,” there are two other things that put me in a flow state. First, AI x Mathematics x Physics. Originally, the reason I suddenly jumped to NYC after graduating high school was to become Einstein’s successor, and my initial major in university was mathematics. While talking with Mr. Masao Ishihara, the STEM education advisor for SHS, I recalled the flow state I was in during junior and senior high school when I was engrossed in self-studying mathematics and physics, neglecting my schoolwork. On the other hand, I had an extraordinary interest in AI since high school, influenced by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Akira Asada (refer to “The Road to D” (9), (10), (11)). Ridley Scott’s movie Blade Runner (1982), which the two highly praised in relation to AI, was something I even went to see all the way from Aizu (Fukushima) to the Bungeiza in Ikebukuro (closed in 1997) during my spring break of my senior year. My flow related to AI also began to reignite through conversations with Mr. Ishihara, who is a grand-disciple of MIT Professor Seymour Papert (refer to “The Road to D” (4)). Through this process, AI education, and the STEM education closely related to it, came to be positioned as pillars of co-education at SHS. 3. However, the number of high school students who enter a flow state with AI x Mathematics x Physics is likely still limited. I hope SHS can make it something familiar and enjoyable. So, actually, I have another flow. It’s car racing, which I mentioned last time in “eSOM (12).” However, unlike the bubble economy era (1987-1991) when all of Japan was enthusiastic about F1, car racing is now a minor sport (wasn’t it always?). Even for me, car racing only recently became a flow. It suddenly “came down” to me when I was utterly exhausted from juggling the kindergarten principal duties and the preparations for establishing SHS. It happened while I was blankly staring at the F1 machines racing through the neon-lit streets of Las Vegas. Since then, except when I am devoted to constructing SHS and the Cowa Group, I similarly blankly watch car races around the world, including F1. Even when I fall asleep, I sleep best while listening to the roaring engine sounds of races being held on the other side of the globe. Then, when I wake up the next morning, my head is completely refreshed, and I can work on constructing SHS/Cowa in a flow state. The routine is exactly the same on weekends. The only times I am not working on constructing SHS/Kowa are the weekends when I go to the racetrack and when I watch the Hakone Ekiden during the New Year’s holidays (for me, the Hakone Ekiden has the same effect as car racing). As I wrote last time, I have watched various sports around the world (especially the four major US sports as well as soccer and tennis) to the extent that I was recruited multiple times by a prominent sports journal. Regarding baseball in particular, I have had in-depth, maniacal conversations about hitting with Kenta Kurihara, a former star player for the Hiroshima Carp. As for basketball, I even lectured a certain executive of the Hiroshima Dragonflies on the NBA from scratch. Despite all that, there is no sport as profound and immersive as motorsports. Therefore, I have decided to make motorsports a part of my work. In other words, regarding motorsports, I am in the same position as the SHS students. Since I already have an important job of “constructing SHS/Cowa,” I will explore motorsports-related work that is related to it and is needed in the coming AI era. This would correspond to the “second task,” so I’m probably just a little ahead of most SHS students. “Motorsports-related work that will become part of constructing SHS/Cowa and is needed in the coming era.” I will explore this with the cooperation of all SHS members. I will report on this here in eSOM: The Road to D and hope it will serve as a reference for each SHS student as they fight their “own race.” By the way, in fighting this new “my race,” I have a strong intuition that “Hiroshima Mobility World,” which aims to be a “sacred place” of world-class mobility entertainment scheduled to open in the spring of 2027 at the former Marina Hop site, holds a major key. hiroshima-mobility-world.co.jp newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/187 4. SHS’ involvement in the development of the “Hiroshima Mobility World,” which aims to become a “sacred place” for world-class mobility and entertainment, fully aligns with everything I want SHS students to achieve while enrolled. What are the “things” I want SHS’ students to achieve while enrolled at SHS? Firstly, it is to find a job that will be needed in the coming era (i.e., with expected growth) and also, that fulfills one’s own flow, also. I currently have in my possession a book titled “Value-Creating Growth Strategy: Japan’s Future Vision Where Individuals Shine Under a Declining Population” (2024), written by Deloitte Tohmatsu, a leading global consulting firm. According to this book, the seven industries with expected growth in the “Age of AI” are as follows: Mobility: Aiming to shift from an “automobile superpower” to a “mobility superpower” by overcoming regulatory barriers and creating new markets. Healthcare: Aiming to maximize healthy life expectancy so that every individual, including the elderly, can live a long and healthy life. Energy: Aiming to lead the world in building a multi-layered energy mix. Circular Economy: Aiming to efficiently and cyclically use resources and minimize waste. Tourism: Aiming to cultivate long-term relationships with both domestic and international stakeholders by leveraging regional characteristics. Media and Entertainment: Including a shift to becoming a distributor that accelerates global expansion and a challenge to global organizational strategies through a major industry alliance. Semiconductors: Aiming to strengthen Japan-U.S. cooperation and acquire/establish next-generation semiconductor technology domestically. The “Hiroshima Mobility World” is deeply connected to four of these seven industries. Considering which four industries these are, along with the reasons why, would be an excellent inquiry-based learning activity. Furthermore, because these four are linked to the SDGs through ESG, Deloitte Tohmatsu identifies them as future growth industries. ESG/SDGs are learned in “Home Economics” and “Social Studies” classes at SHS. Based on the knowledge gained in these classes, trying to understand how the four growth industries relate to ESG/SDGs would also be an optimal inquiry-based learning task. In this way, involvement in the development of the “Hiroshima Mobility World” provides SHS with an unparalleled opportunity. (To be continued)
