“I take the initiative to close knowledge gaps”: The domain knowledge and inferential skills of Business Lead Engineers supporting DX in anime production

CyberAgent established the Business Lead Engineer (BLE) role in August 2026 as a new engineering position for the AI era. Based on comprehensive technical expertise, BLEs are responsible for engaging deeply with business operations and consistently creating business impact. The interview provides a detailed look at the work of Kamioka Masaya (上岡将也), head of digital transformation at the animation production studio CA Soa, and the importance of the ability to infer based on an understanding of challenges at the operational front line.

A challenge facing the production front line is that traditional tools and work practices remain deeply entrenched in animation production, making information sharing and production management increasingly complex. Rather than simply introducing tools, Kamioka is seeking to redesign workflows through dialogue with the front line and create an environment where people can focus on creative work. Drawing on past failures, he emphasizes the need to achieve results through the use of data while maintaining an understanding of operations.

From the perspective of “How would we draw this if we knew the latest technology?”, the approach involves learning the workflows and industry structure of production sites and clarifying the engineer's role in bridging the gap. After organizing the current state of materials sharing and production management, the team quickly develops prototypes and adopts a process that incorporates feedback from the front line. The approach places importance on supporting implementation in the field and providing reassurance, introducing solutions incrementally into actual operations.

Looking ahead, the company has set the goal of “complete automation of the development process” by 2028 and aims to improve the environment across the industry. Its objective is to use the ability to infer as a strength, bridge the knowledge gap between business and technology, and provide creators with new options that allow them to immerse themselves in creative work. Kamioka has indicated his intention to pursue fundamental changes that overturn the industry's assumptions while maintaining a perspective that retains “layperson's ideas.”