Abstract

The rapid advancement of digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) presents new challenges and possibilities for knowledge creation by humans. AI is expected to replace human labor in fields requiring unskilled workers, and companies are required to seek new forms of operation that allow coexistence and collaboration between human beings and AI. However, despite the advancement, AI is unable to function without humans in situations where distinctions need to be made between important and non-important activities, and time and place have to be considered in judging what should receive priority. The ability to make such judgments has been dubbed “great knowledge” by Yukichi Fukuzawa and “phronesis” by Aristotle. Additionally, while there is growing interest in explicit knowledge, represented in digital technology and AI, one must also remember that tacit knowledge and non-rationality play an important role in human activities. The key to knowledge creation in the AI era still lies in spreading non-cognitive capabilities and human understanding. AI is not a replacement for human judgment and creativity. Rather, it should be understood as a means to accelerate acquisition of knowledge in humans. Knowledge creation by humans can be made faster and more accurate by leveraging AI. The current era is seeking new knowledge creation through collaboration between human beings and AI.