Lecture
“Create Doraemon together – A Future Shaped by Heart and AI”
by Associate Professor OSAWA Masahiko

Wait, You’re Making Doraemon?
– Japanese Innovator Turning Dreams into Reality

The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam proudly presents the Lecture “Create Doraemon together – A Future Shaped by Heart and AI” by Associate Professor Dr. OSAWA Masahiko a leading expert in artificial intelligence from Nihon University, and currently holds the position of director of the Research Center for the Next-Generation Society (RINGS) at the university.

Like many people in Japan – and indeed, around the world – Dr. Osawa grew up with a deep affection for Doraemon, the iconic robot cat who seems to possess a heart. Unlike typical industrial robots designed for perfect task execution, Doraemon is “imperfect”, emotionally expressive, and profoundly human-like, qualities that have made him so beloved.

Rather than building a flawless, emotionless machine, Dr. Osawa believes that what society truly needs is a robot like Doraemon – a companion who understands and connects with humans. This belief has shaped his distinctive approach to AI and robotics. For over a decade, he has drawn on insights from cognitive science, psychology, and the humanities to study Human-Agent Interaction (HAI) – a field that examines how humans and artificial agents can build mutual trust, empathy, and emotional understanding.

Through his research, Dr. Osawa is not simply imagining the future, he is actively working to build it. In this lecture, you’ll see how that vision is beginning to take shape. You’ll also meet “Mini-Dora,” a prototype developed by Dr. Osawa himself. This session will offer meaningful insights to those in the field of technology as well as to anyone interested in fostering innovation and cultural exchange between Vietnam and Japan.

The future may be closer than you think and it might start with Doraemon.

THÔNG TIN SỰ KIỆN

* Lecture in Japanese with Vietnamese interpretation
* Recommended for audiences over 13 years old, as the lecture includes academic content

■ Credits                                                                                                                        

Organizer: The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam
Co-organizer: VNU University of Social Sciences and Humanities *only for the lecture in Hanoi
Supported by: Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City *only for the lecture in Ho Chi Minh City

SPEAKER INFORMATION

Osawa Masahiko, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Information Science, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University

Director, Research Center for the Next-Generation Society (RINGS)

Research Interests

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)
Biologically Inspired Cognitive Architectures
Human-Agent Interaction (HAI)
Machine Learning and Deep Learning
Computational Neuroscience
Cognitive Science

Selected Publications

Osawa, M. (2020). Creating Doraemon Seriously. PHP
Osawa, M. (2024). Let’s Talk About Ourselves: A Textbook on Self-Introduction That Attracts Success. PHP

Recent Journal Articles and Conference Papers:

• Integrating Large Language Model and Mental Model of Others: Studies on Dialogue Communication Based on Implicature, International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction, pp. 260–269 (2024) Ayu Iida, Kohei Okuoka, Satoko Fukuda, Takashi Omori, Ryoichi Nakashima, Masahiko Osawa,
• Can Large Language Models Become Doraemon? (Osawa Masahiko) Artificial Intelligence, 39(2), pp. 214–221(2024)
• Experimental Validation of BDI Model-Based Mind Model of Other for Values Estimation (Masaki Abe, Takashi Omori, Masahiko Osawa) Proceedings of The 24th International Symposium on Advanced Intelligent Systems (2023)
• Influence of Agent Embodiment on Interaction in Product Recommendation (Ryosuke Kawashima, Saya Todome, Kohei Okuoka, Takuya Iwamoto, Jun Baba, Daisuke Endo, Akihiro Miyata, Masahiko Osawa) Proceedings of The 24th International Symposium on Advanced Intelligent Systems (2023)

Research Projects

• Research on Agents That Mutually Adapt to Humans, Nihon University Natural Science Institute Individual Research Fund (April 2023 – March 2025)
• Development of Next-Generation Surgical Systems Based on Surgeon and Assistant Interaction, Nihon University Special Research (July 2022 – March 2024)
• Research on Proxy Agent Using Other Models, NEC Solution Innovators Co., Ltd. Collaborative Research Fund (2021 – 2025)
• Research on Dialogue Agents That Positively Influence Human Emotions, Nihon University College of Humanities and Sciences Natural Science Institute Collaborative Research (April 2021 – March 2022)
• Development of RBM-based Cognitive Architecture Focused on the Hippocampus, JSPS Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows (April 2017 – March 2020)

HÌNH ẢNH THAM KHẢO

Remarks: For the usage of the following images for your media, please kindly put the credit and information below, and please get the original size of the images at: (PR kit)

All photos credit: ©️ Osawa Masahiko

■For inquiries on the lecture and speaker interview, please contact at:　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　                             

The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam
27 Quang Trung, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi, Vietnam TEL: 024-3944-7419
Ms. Anh (083-369-1818) / Mr. Osuka (076-606-0858)
https://www.facebook.com/japanfoundation.vietnam/        https://hn.jpf.go.jp/

(only for the lecture in Hanoi)
VNU University of Social Sciences and Humanities
336 Nguyen Trai, Thanh Xuan Trung, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi, Vietnam
Mr. Vu (098-361-1950)
https://ussh.vnu.edu.vn/        contact@ussh.edu.vn