AI, IoT, big data, and the cloud——the technologies we have studied so far present us with the question of "what should people and society be like?" As the conclusion of Unit 1, we will consider the vision of society Japan aims for, Society 5.0, and information ethics in the age of AI.
Society 5.0 — The Fusion of Cyber and Physical Spaces
Society 5.0 is a vision of the future society proposed by the Japanese government. It is positioned as the fifth society following the hunting society (1.0), agrarian society (2.0), industrial society (3.0), and information society (4.0), and is defined as "a human-centered society that highly integrates cyberspace (virtual space) and physical space (real space) to achieve both economic development and the resolution of social issues." The core mechanism is a cycle in which data from the real world is collected through IoT, value is created through AI and big data analysis, and the results are returned to the real world through robots, autonomous driving, and other technologies. Digital twins, which reproduce real cities and facilities in cyberspace for simulation experiments, are also a representative technology of this fusion. The aim is to overcome Japan's challenges, such as the declining birthrate and aging population, depopulation in rural areas, and disaster response, through technology.
Ethical Issues Brought by AI
As situations in which AI decisions affect people's lives increase, new ethical issues are emerging. ①Bias and fairness: AI may reproduce and amplify social prejudices contained in training data. If people with certain attributes are treated unfairly in decisions about employment, loans, entrance examinations, and other matters, it becomes serious discrimination. ②Transparency and explainability: The basis for decisions made by deep learning easily becomes a black box, raising the question of whether it is acceptable to select people without being able to explain "why they were rejected." ③Responsibility: When an autonomous vehicle causes an accident, who is responsible—the driver, the manufacturer, or the AI developer? ④Deepfakes: Fake videos and audio created with generative AI that cannot be distinguished from the real thing may be misused for fraud, public opinion manipulation, and attacks on individuals. These ethical, legal, and social issues related to technology are collectively called ELSI (Ethical, Legal and Social Issues), and discussing them alongside technological development is becoming an international standard. Countries and international organizations are developing principles and rules for the use of AI (AI governance).
Issues Surrounding Data and Attention
There are also new issues at the individual level. Businesses that optimize advertisements and displays based on behavioral data such as searches, browsing, and purchases support free and convenient services, but they have also created designs—such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, and notifications—that "compete for users' attention (time)." Filter bubbles and echo chambers created by recommendation algorithms on social media (studied in Information I) have also been identified as factors that deepen social division. In addition, the balance between surveillance by governments and companies and privacy, as well as the concentration of wealth in huge platform companies that possess data, are challenges that future society must face. Around the world, there is growing movement to establish legal systems that strongly protect the rights of individuals regarding their data, such as the EU's GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
An Attitude for Living with Technology — Digital Citizenship
To live in the information society of the future, what is required is not a passive attitude focused only on avoiding danger, but an attitude of digital citizenship: understanding technology, actively choosing good ways to use it, and participating in creating the rules of society. Specifically, this includes ①continuing to learn how systems work (the learning in this course itself), ②critically examining AI outputs and information, ③taking an interest in how one's own data is used, and ④being able to speak up when something seems wrong with the design of technology or institutions. Technology is not a natural phenomenon; it is made by people. That is precisely why it is we who use technology who decide what kind of information society to create.
- Society 5.0 = a human-centered society created through the advanced fusion of cyberspace and physical space (following hunting → agrarian → industrial → information societies).
- Digital twin = technology for reproducing reality in cyberspace and conducting simulation experiments.
- Key issues in AI ethics: bias and fairness, transparency (explainability), responsibility, and deepfakes.
- ELSI = ethical, legal, and social issues related to technology. Discuss them alongside development.
- Designs that compete for attention (such as infinite scrolling) and concentration of power in platforms are also social issues.
- Digital citizenship = an attitude of understanding technology, using it proactively, and participating in creating rules.
Practice Questions
- What kind of society is Society 5.0? Explain it using the terms "cyberspace" and "physical space."
- In AI-based recruitment screening, what does it mean that "bias in training data leads to discrimination"? Explain it so that the mechanism is clear.
- Explain what a deepfake is and give two examples of how it may be misused.
- How is "digital citizenship" different from traditional information-morality education, which focuses on avoiding danger? State your opinion.
Answers and Explanations
- Answer: Society 5.0 is a human-centered society that uses IoT and AI to highly integrate cyberspace (virtual space) and physical space (real space), achieving both economic development and the resolution of social issues. It is positioned as the fifth society following hunting, agrarian, industrial, and information societies, and its core is a cycle in which real-world data is analyzed in cyberspace and the results are returned to reality.
Explanation: The keywords are "fusion," "human-centered," and "achieving both economic development and the resolution of social issues." It is also good to mention its position as the fifth society. - Answer: Because AI learns patterns from past data, if the past hiring results contain a bias, such as a large number of people of a particular gender or attribute, AI may learn that bias as a "characteristic of a good applicant" and rate applicants with certain attributes poorly regardless of their actual abilities. Even without malicious intent, AI reproduces and amplifies social prejudices contained in the data as decisions.
Explanation: The key to scoring is whether the causal chain "bias in past data → learning → biased decisions" is explained. The goal is to challenge the assumption that "AI is neutral." - Answer: A deepfake is a fake video, audio recording, or image created using generative AI technology such as deep learning that cannot be distinguished from the real thing. Examples of misuse: ①fraud by impersonating a celebrity or acquaintance (such as instructions to transfer money using fake audio). ②manipulation of public opinion or interference in elections through a fake video of a politician making false statements. Other examples include defamation and bullying through fake images made without the person's consent.
Explanation: A correct answer includes the definition (a sophisticated AI-generated fake) and two examples of misuse. It would demonstrate deeper understanding to mention checking the source and comparing multiple information sources as countermeasures. - Answer: (Example) Traditional information-morality education mainly took a defensive approach: "restrict how technology is used because it is dangerous" and "avoid trouble." Digital citizenship differs in that it involves understanding how technology works, choosing good ways to use it independently, and participating as a citizen in social decision-making, including how data is handled and how technological rules are created. It is an active and proactive attitude.
Explanation: An answer is correct if it contrasts "avoidance (passive)" with "using technology skillfully and participating (active)." A specific example in the student's own words would make the answer even better.