Viviana Crescitelli
Research & Development Group
Hitachi, Ltd.
At Hitachi R&D, we recognize that innovation begins with meaningful connections fostering synergy, between people, advanced technologies, and purposeful goals. As part of Kyōsō-no-Mori’s role to act as a hub for open innovation and accelerate progress, we hosted three global IEEE conferences over a three day period in December 2024 to encourage international scientific exchange and collaboration in the transformative fields of artificial intelligence (AI), multimedia and robotics.
The 26th International Symposium on Multimedia (ISM 2024), the International Conference on Robotic Computing (IRC 2024), and Artificial Intelligence × Data & Knowledge Engineering (AI×DKE 2024), were co-located at the Kokubunji site of Hitachi’s Research & Development Group from 11th - 13th December, to provide a forum fostering cross-disciplinary innovation, strengthening industry-academy collaboration, and advancing cutting-edge research aligned with Hitachi’s vision to deliver innovations that answer society’s challenges.
The idea of hosting these conferences came after I attended a similar IEEE conference in California. Seeing how such scientific events encouraged collaboration and sparked innovative ideas, I realized that Hitachi was ideally positioned to bring experts together; not to mention the opportunity to invite colleagues to my amazing work environment of which I’m very proud of, but more on that later. Working with the others committee members, we made this vision a reality, this time positioning Hitachi as the leading hub for global dialogue on AI, multimedia and robotics. Through the events, we aimed to strength ties between industry and academic, showcase novel ideas, foster new collaborations, and attract top-tier talent to propel social innovation.
Exploring innovative research in AI, multimedia & robotics
IEEE ISM 2024 presented a comprehensive range of research in multimedia computing, focusing on advancements in systems and architectures, communications and streaming, multimedia interfaces, media coding and processing, and security in multimedia applications.
IEEE IRC 2024 focused on the integration of computing and robotics, particularly in the application of formal methods for analysis and design in robotic computing. The conference highlighted the inaugural Human-Centric AI (HCAI 2024) workshop, led by researchers from Hitachi’s R&D teams in Europe and Japan. It explored how generative AI is enhancing decision-making and fostering creativity, focusing on frameworks for effective human-AI collaboration. Discussions highlighted AI’s transformative impact across industries, including business intelligence, automation, and creative content generation.
IEEE AI×DKE 2024 explored the intersection of artificial intelligence and knowledge engineering, with research spanning generative AI, transformer-based models, agent technology, and symbolic AI. The conference emphasized applications in knowledge representation, decision-making, and AI-driven data modeling.
Generative AI as a key enabler in modern intelligent systems
Generative AI emerged as a pivotal theme across the conference tracks and workshops, underscoring its transformative impact on multimedia processing, robotic systems, and data engineering. The presentations and discussions highlighted generative AI’s role in advancing automation, decision-making, and intelligent systems, paving the way for real-world applications. Researchers examined generative AI’s role in improving human decision-making, fostering creativity, and improving industrial and educational systems. Key contributions included AI-driven safety and performance solutions, autonomous drone systems, and robotic inspection technologies. In education, AI-enhanced tools like AR/VR and AI-generated content were displayed for creating interactive learning experiences. Additional topics include graph-based modeling, graph neural networks, and cyber-physical systems to improve human-machine collaboration and efficiency.
Inspirational keynotes highlighting breakthroughs in AI and robotics, and beyond
Another highlight of the conferences was the opportunity to hear leading experts share their insights on the frontiers of AI, robotics and beyond.
Professor Minoru Asada, Vice President at the International Professional University of Technology in Osaka and Specially Appointed Professor at Osaka University, discussed the evolution of Cognitive Developmental Robotics (CDR) and the transformative influence of generative AI on the future of robotics in his keynote titled, “What, How, and Why Robotic Computing? — Artificial Body, Brain, and Mind.”
Dr. Tatsuhiko Kagehiro, Distinguished Researcher at Hitachi’s Advanced AI Innovation Center, shared insights from Hitachi’s AI-driven innovations in video analysis and metaverse applications in his talk, “How Hitachi is using AI in its Social Innovation Business.”
Professor Heiner Stuckenschmidt from the University of Mannheim examined application of machine learning in business process modeling, introducing novel AI-driven strategies to enhance operational efficiency in his keynote titled, “Beyond Process Mining — Machine Learning for Business Process Modelling.”
Looking ahead: Building a global community for AI, multimedia & robotics
Co-hosting these events served as a catalyst; the ideas shared and the connections made helping to shape new research and collaborations leading to tangible impact across diverse industries. Moving forward, we plan to continue hosting these conferences on a rotation basis between Japan, Italy, and California, to further expand the network of scientist and engineers dedicated to advancing AI, robotics and multimedia technologies to drive innovation.
We invite interested parties to connect with us to explore collaboration opportunities and contribute to shaping a smarter, more sustainable future.
Acknowledgements
I would like to extend my warmest thanks to the many volunteers and participants, both inside and outside of Hitachi, who contributed their time and energy—many traveling long distances—to help make this event a success. The early support from different department managers in Hitachi R&D helped bring this vision to life and reflects Hitachi’s strong collaborative culture across the global R&D organization and highlights our shared commitment to innovation, teamwork, and knowledge sharing.
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