Okunote CEO Satoru Shimizu to Release First Book on Generative AI Planning Techniques in Late May via Nikkei BP
Satoru Shimizu, CEO of Okunote Inc., will publish his first book titled "'Super' Planning Techniques Using Generative AI Practiced by a Competition Crasher: 7 Creative Steps to Guide Winning Strategies with the 'Art of Questioning'" through Nikkei BP starting in late May 2026. The book is a practical guide explaining the "art of questioning" and seven steps to improve the quality of planning by utilizing generative AI.
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Okunote Inc. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo) announced that CEO Satoru Shimizu's first book, "'Super' Planning Techniques Using Generative AI Practiced by a Competition Crasher: 7 Creative Steps to Guide Winning Strategies with the 'Art of Questioning'," will be released sequentially at bookstores nationwide and online via Nikkei BP starting in late May 2026.
The scheduled publication date for this book is May 22, 2026.
This book is a practical guide intended to improve the quality of planning, encompassing not just mass-producing ideas using generative AI, but also how to perceive challenges, how to formulate questions, and how to identify winning strategies.
In recent years, the spread of generative AI, such as ChatGPT, has enabled anyone to produce text and ideas in a short amount of time. On the other hand, concerns have arisen, such as "plausible ideas come out, but they lack a decisive factor," "it doesn't lead to originality or persuasiveness as a plan," and "ultimately, I don't know how to use it to achieve business results."
In this book, the author, who has been involved in a wide range of fields including business development, product/service planning, brand development, and design management support for companies, local governments, and educational institutions, organizes the essence of planning in the generative AI era as the "art of questioning." It explains, along 7 practical steps, what to ask generative AI, in what order to deepen thoughts, how to refine hypotheses, and how to drop them into executable plans.
Rather than a simple collection of prompts, it is a book that presents a "thinking process model" for planners to expand their own thinking and refine it into proposals that communicate to others.
Features of the Book:
1. Not letting generative AI end at just "idea generation"
Generative AI excels at generating large quantities of ideas. However, what is important in planning is not adopting the generated ideas as they are, but seeing through the structure of the problem and refining it in a direction that has a winning chance in light of the consumer and market context. This book explains a series of flows, from ideation methods using generative AI to question design, hypothesis verification, conceptualization, and dropping it into a proposal.
2. Systematizing the thinking process of planning around the "art of questioning"
What this book emphasizes is not the perspective of "what to make generative AI answer," but "what kind of questions to ask to advance thinking." It introduces thinking models that can be used at each stage of planning, such as questions that break down challenges, questions that delve into consumer insights, questions that expand ideas, questions that find weaknesses in plans, and questions that refine them as proposals.
3. Practical 7 steps usable in business settings
This book organizes planning using generative AI into a practical flow. The content can be applied to a wide range of planning tasks, including new business, product development, service planning, regional revitalization, competition/public offering proposals, and presentation material creation.
The target audience includes those who have started using generative AI at work but struggle with how to apply it to planning tasks, those involved in new business or marketing, and business people who want to create winning plans for competitions and internal proposals.
Author's Comment:
"Thanks to generative AI, we are in an era where anyone can easily come up with ideas. However, the value of a plan is not determined solely by 'generating many ideas.' What is important is to see through the structure behind the challenge, find possibilities that have not yet been put into words, and refine them into a proposal that makes the other party want to take action. What is necessary for this is the 'art of questioning.' In this book, I have summarized how I use generative AI, which I have practiced in fields such as public calls for business ideas, new business proposals, and brand development. I hope this book will help everyone facing planning to find their own winning path."
Book Information:
Title: "'Super' Planning Techniques Using Generative AI Practiced by a Competition Crasher: 7 Creative Steps to Guide Winning Strategies with the 'Art of Questioning'"
Author: Satoru Shimizu
Publisher: Nikkei BP
Release Date: Available sequentially from late May (Scheduled date: May 22)
Price: 2,200 yen (tax included)
ISBN: 9784296210862
The scheduled publication date for this book is May 22, 2026.
This book is a practical guide intended to improve the quality of planning, encompassing not just mass-producing ideas using generative AI, but also how to perceive challenges, how to formulate questions, and how to identify winning strategies.
In recent years, the spread of generative AI, such as ChatGPT, has enabled anyone to produce text and ideas in a short amount of time. On the other hand, concerns have arisen, such as "plausible ideas come out, but they lack a decisive factor," "it doesn't lead to originality or persuasiveness as a plan," and "ultimately, I don't know how to use it to achieve business results."
In this book, the author, who has been involved in a wide range of fields including business development, product/service planning, brand development, and design management support for companies, local governments, and educational institutions, organizes the essence of planning in the generative AI era as the "art of questioning." It explains, along 7 practical steps, what to ask generative AI, in what order to deepen thoughts, how to refine hypotheses, and how to drop them into executable plans.
Rather than a simple collection of prompts, it is a book that presents a "thinking process model" for planners to expand their own thinking and refine it into proposals that communicate to others.
Features of the Book:
1. Not letting generative AI end at just "idea generation"
Generative AI excels at generating large quantities of ideas. However, what is important in planning is not adopting the generated ideas as they are, but seeing through the structure of the problem and refining it in a direction that has a winning chance in light of the consumer and market context. This book explains a series of flows, from ideation methods using generative AI to question design, hypothesis verification, conceptualization, and dropping it into a proposal.
2. Systematizing the thinking process of planning around the "art of questioning"
What this book emphasizes is not the perspective of "what to make generative AI answer," but "what kind of questions to ask to advance thinking." It introduces thinking models that can be used at each stage of planning, such as questions that break down challenges, questions that delve into consumer insights, questions that expand ideas, questions that find weaknesses in plans, and questions that refine them as proposals.
3. Practical 7 steps usable in business settings
This book organizes planning using generative AI into a practical flow. The content can be applied to a wide range of planning tasks, including new business, product development, service planning, regional revitalization, competition/public offering proposals, and presentation material creation.
The target audience includes those who have started using generative AI at work but struggle with how to apply it to planning tasks, those involved in new business or marketing, and business people who want to create winning plans for competitions and internal proposals.
Author's Comment:
"Thanks to generative AI, we are in an era where anyone can easily come up with ideas. However, the value of a plan is not determined solely by 'generating many ideas.' What is important is to see through the structure behind the challenge, find possibilities that have not yet been put into words, and refine them into a proposal that makes the other party want to take action. What is necessary for this is the 'art of questioning.' In this book, I have summarized how I use generative AI, which I have practiced in fields such as public calls for business ideas, new business proposals, and brand development. I hope this book will help everyone facing planning to find their own winning path."
Book Information:
Title: "'Super' Planning Techniques Using Generative AI Practiced by a Competition Crasher: 7 Creative Steps to Guide Winning Strategies with the 'Art of Questioning'"
Author: Satoru Shimizu
Publisher: Nikkei BP
Release Date: Available sequentially from late May (Scheduled date: May 22)
Price: 2,200 yen (tax included)
ISBN: 9784296210862
FAQ
What is the purpose of this book?
To provide a 'thinking process model' that goes beyond just generating ideas with AI, helping readers see the structure of problems and refine them into winning plans.
Who is the target audience for this book?
Business professionals who have started using generative AI but struggle to apply it to planning, those involved in new business or product development, and people who want to create winning proposals in competitions.
Who is the author, Satoru Shimizu?
He is the CEO of Okunote Inc. and a business designer who consistently handles everything from business development to branding.