Can “Value” Be Made Visible? — A New Research Initiative at SAKINA

What exactly is “value”?

It sounds like a simple question, but the more you think about it, the more complex it becomes.

Value exists in words, images, videos, conversations, experiences, and many other forms of expression. And it does not remain constant — it can change over time and depending on the situation.

Yet much of that value is still understood through human intuition and subjective interpretation.

Different people can look at the same thing and perceive very different kinds of value.

Even the same person may see something differently as time passes.

At SAKINA, we are currently exploring this theme together with researchers and students in Japan.

The details of the research are still confidential, so there is a lot I cannot share yet.

What I can say is that we are not simply trying to judge whether something is “good” or “bad.”

We are exploring whether the value embedded in text, images, video, communication, and other forms of information can be understood in a different and more structured way.

And beyond that, we are interested in how that value changes over time, through experiences, and across different contexts.

Can those changes be made visible?

That is one of the questions we are trying to explore.

If this becomes possible, AI may be able to do more than classify, summarize, or process information.

It may also be able to help us understand:

What kind of value exists here?

How has that value changed?

And what might have influenced that change?

New Perspectives Through Conversations with Students

One of the most stimulating parts of this initiative has been the discussions with the students involved.

In my daily work, I naturally tend to think from the perspective of business, product development, and how ideas can ultimately be implemented in AI systems.

The students often approach the same questions from completely different angles.

Sometimes I find myself thinking,

“I never would have looked at it that way.”

These conversations have made me reconsider assumptions that had become almost automatic for me.

And that has been incredibly refreshing.

Researchers, students, engineers, and people building businesses all have different backgrounds and different ways of seeing the world.

Even when we are discussing the same topic, we may be looking at completely different aspects of it.

When those perspectives meet, new questions begin to emerge.

And I think that is one of the most interesting parts of this kind of research.

The goal is not always to find the “correct answer” as quickly as possible.

Sometimes, discovering a question you had never thought to ask is just as valuable.

Connecting the Research to SAKINA

Of course, we do not intend for this research to remain purely academic.

Ultimately, we want to connect what we learn back to SAKINA.

SAKINA is being developed as a platform that works alongside people and organizations, helping them understand information, communication, decision-making, and change.

What becomes possible if AI can understand not only information itself, but also the value within it — and how that value changes?

That is something I find extremely exciting.

I cannot yet talk about what specific features this research may lead to, or exactly how it may be incorporated into SAKINA.

But one thing is clear.

We are not simply trying to build “smarter AI.”

We want to build AI that can help people understand what matters.

What people value.

What is being created inside an organization.

And how those things evolve over time.

This research is one step toward that goal.

There is still a lot we cannot share, but the conversations and discoveries so far have already been incredibly inspiring.

When the time is right, I hope to share more about where this journey is leading.