Laboro.AI and Rikkyo University Business Design Institute forecast the 2030 business environment through an AI simulation study and propose 4 corporate actions. Respondents were a virtual group of executives recreated using generative AI, with assumptions compared between the present and 2030.
Laboro.AI and Rikkyo University Business Design Institute conducted an analysis using “未来リサーチ” (an AI simulation market research service), based on 1,500 virtual respondents recreating the 2030 business environment for executives and directors of Japanese companies, and released 4 proposed corporate actions for 2030. The study was designed so that AI created the virtual respondents and their responses under current and 2030 assumptions were compared.
The main findings indicate that although investment in AI adoption is increasingly viewed as a given, the focus of investment is shifting toward redesigning business processes, recruiting talent and reskilling. Proprietary data and intellectual assets are also becoming more important as sources of competitive advantage, while differences in company size are narrowing.
There is a strong view that humans should be responsible for final decisions, and the view that AI should be entrusted only with presenting options and supporting rationale remained unchanged. Evaluations of AI's effectiveness are rising not only for efficiency gains through business automation, but also in knowledge-based areas such as strategy development, customer understanding and product development.
The 4 recommendations for 2030 are to shift the focus from introducing AI to using AI to restructure operations, recognize that data quality is what creates differentiation, design the division of roles between AI and people, and expand AI applications to “thinking work.” Professor Saito (斎藤) emphasized the importance of post-adoption design and human resources. Further analysis and academic validation are planned.