The Role of Education and Science in the Digital Age

This event was co-organised by the DIJ, Tokyo College, and Kawade Shobo Shinsha on the occasion of the publication of the Japanese version of Yuval Noah Harari’s book Nexus. 

Today, digital networks provide us with an abundance of information. We invest more than ever in education and science. Despite these achievements our mental, socio-economic and political conditions have not improved. They seem to be even deteriorating. Why? What is going wrong? What can we do better? What can the first information revolution 600 years ago teach us? Two leading Japanese scholars in the field of media and AI governance discussed these questions with Yuval Noah Harari, the world-famous thinker and best-selling author, who explores the risks and opportunities of the information age in his new book Nexus.

Speakers

Yuval Noah HARARI
Historian, Philosopher

Yuval Noah Harari is the bestselling author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, the series Sapiens: A Graphic History and Unstoppable Us, and Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI. His books have sold over 45 million copies in 65 languages. Harari received his PhD from the University of Oxford in 2002. He is a Distinguished Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge’s Centre for the Study of Existential Risk.

HAYASHI Kaori
Professor of Media and Journalism Studies, The University of Tokyo
Executive Vice President (International Affairs, Diversity & Inclusion)

EMA Arisa
Associate Professor, Tokyo College, The University of Tokyo
Science and Technology Studies, AI Governance

Moderator
Franz WALDENBERGER
Director, German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ)