Seminar on "Information Gathering and Utilization Know-how Leveraging Human Intelligence" by Kenji Kikuchi, Executive Fellow, MDB Business Division, Japan Management Association Research Institute, to be held on May 12, 2026 (Tuesday)!!

────────────【SSK Seminar】─────────── 【Human Intelligence and Future Foresight in the AI Era: What You Need to Know】 Information Gathering and Utilization Know-how for Expanding Existing Domains and Developing New Applications ─────────────────────────────

[Seminar Details] https://www.ssk21.co.jp/S0000103.php?spage=pt_26194

[Lecturer] Mr. Kenji Kikuchi, Executive Fellow, MDB Business Division, Japan Management Association Research Institute

[Date & Time] May 12, 2026 (Tuesday), 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

[How to Attend] ■ In-person attendance SSK Seminar Room Zymax Nishi-Shinbashi Bldg. 4F, 2-6-2 Nishi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo ■ Live streaming (Zoom Webinar) ■ Archive streaming (Available for 2 weeks, can be viewed at your convenience any number of times)

[Participant-Exclusive Bonus] "Latest Business Information Sources List 2040 for Future Foresight" will be presented.

[Key Points of the Lecture] ・This time, regardless of industry, we will generously provide know-how on business information gathering and utilization from a "future foresight perspective" that leads to expanding existing domains, new businesses, and new application development. ・What we will deliver is business information gathering and utilization know-how that leverages "human wisdom (jinchi)," which is essential to know precisely at the start of fiscal year 2026, often referred to as the era of physical AI. ・Nevertheless, the rapid evolution of generative AI is astonishing. There isn't a day when advanced tools like Chat GPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude, and NotebookLM aren't discussed, and their influence in the business scene is rapidly increasing. We believe many of you are already utilizing them in various situations. ・In this seminar, we will thoroughly explain "human wisdom (jinchi)," which is crucial to grasp in the AI era, and the "future foresight perspective" for understanding the future business environment. To think about the future, it is necessary to effectively utilize the information and experiences within one's own mind. ・Looking back at fiscal year 2025, companies' initiatives aimed at cross-industry collaboration and ambitious new business entries became even more energetic. On the day of the seminar, we will introduce notable domestic and international cases that are important to know at the beginning of fiscal year 2026. Many companies are desperately working on new strategies from a backcasting perspective, while expanding and protecting their existing businesses, and looking ahead to the business environment about 10 years from now. I myself have witnessed such scenes through my support work for various companies. ・In the era of generative AI, am I the only one who believes that cultivating an "information pond" in one's mind will be the key to determining success or failure in fierce competition? ・In foreseeing the future through backcasting, what will become more important is the power of "combination" – the ability to combine one's own knowledge with the full power of AI to conceive new business developments. My view is that the AI era will usher in a time when human-specific ideas become even more crucial. ・We are confident that the concepts we will present in this seminar on how to interpret "changes in future industries" and "changes in future customers" (both B2C and B2B, of course) through "information" will be useful for your company's future business development. ・This seminar will deliver stimulating content, introducing new business targets for initiatives from fiscal year 2026 onwards, various businesses to watch from a medium-to-long-term perspective, and even unexpected promising businesses, all from a "future foresight perspective." ・The important thing is to always be conscious of the future and to conceive/create the future yourself. In this era where customers themselves do not have clear answers about the future, we predict that companies that can show customers a "picture of the future" will be the winners. ・As is customary, we will also provide a wealth of the latest information, including explanations of the most recent information sources to look out for, regarding "information gathering methods for business success," which surprisingly, there are few opportunities to learn.

[Key Lecture Contents] It's already the start of fiscal year 2026. It's fresh in our memory that 2026 began with conflicts erupting worldwide, marking a challenging start. In an era where the world is swayed by negotiations, it is certainly important to calmly grasp the current situation, but we must also look to the future and steadily develop our own businesses. In fact, new businesses are emerging around the world, and many noteworthy phenomena are appearing. I have been paying attention for several years, and in fiscal year 2025, too, many unexpected business alliances and M&A deals that made one exclaim, "Why are these two teaming up?" were observed. From fiscal year 2026 onwards, considering the current competitive environment in the industry, these movements will intensify. 2025 was called "the first year of AI agents," and 2026 is described as "the year of physical AI." Generative AI will continue to be the center of attention in the business scene in 2026. In generative AI, a global technology evolution race and investment battle are thriving. Although platforms are expected to converge eventually, in early fiscal year 2026, a development race is progressing at a rapid pace. While maximizing the use of such "Reiwa-era tools of civilization," it is extremely important to create a mechanism for continuously feeding fresh information into one's mind to grasp the future customer environment and one's own company environment. In this seminar, while conveying a "future foresight perspective," we aim to provide as much up-to-date information as possible on how to capture future business opportunities from the viewpoints of existing business expansion, new business/new product development, and new application exploration. Precisely because it is the digital age, hints also reside in analog thinking. The MDB (Marketing Data Bank) where the lecturer works receives daily requests for various business-related surveys, and the number of cases that completely break through "industry boundaries" is steadily increasing, foreshadowing the fierce competitive environment ahead. Even by watching the movements of influential investors and companies that move the world, fiscal year 2026 will undoubtedly be a "year of major initiatives." Envisioning what might happen 10 years from now and contemplating the future of one's own company. Imagining future customer profiles and considering business development. The level of "power to think about the future" will be a major factor in determining success or failure. The lecturer, who has supported "future exploration activities" for many companies and public institutions for many years, based on information gathering and utilization know-how, will convey a future foresight perspective, starting with know-how for information gathering and utilization conscious of existing domain expansion and new business/new product development. Based on experience, he will also explain important business trends that should be particularly noted for the future. This content will certainly be useful for ICT-related companies, new business managers/personnel in various industries, executives, managers, strategy planners, R&D department personnel involved in future exploration, and those who have newly taken on business strategy roles due to transfers in April 2026.

1. Latest Key Survey Trends Important for Looking Ahead to the Future ・Review of notable survey trends in fiscal year 2025 – what was particularly noteworthy… ・Predicting key themes for fiscal year 2026 and beyond ・What are the expected and unexpected trends… perspectives for reading the future ・What are the unexpected factors that will influence the business scene from fiscal year 2026 onwards…

2. Latest Business Information Gathering Methods for Future Foresight ・What is the slight difference between those who succeed in business and those who stumble… ・Understanding the importance of primary and secondary information… what will actually be important from now on… ・How to extract information from customers ・What is a clever "scheme" to learn from a certain company ・There is a solid theory for information gathering that surprisingly few opportunities exist to learn ・What successful new business ventures with a proven track record actually look at… ・Types and characteristics of information sources usable for information gathering (literature, Web, databases, etc.) ・Perspectives for B2B/B2C/B2BtoC, manufacturing/service industries, regional/global respectively ・Explanation of key points for utilizing generative AI to assist business research

3. Information Gathering Case Studies ~ Perspectives on Information Gathering and Utilization ・Green & Digital fields ・Healthcare & Longevity response fields ・Mobility & Smart City fields ・Space-related business ・Essential service business ・Semiconductor-related business ・Foodtech, Agritech ・Destech ・Defensetech ・Future growth businesses / notable technology fields to know (to be announced on the day)

4. "Future Foresight" Perspectives that Managers/Personnel in Charge of Existing Business Expansion, New Business/New Product Development, and New Application Exploration Should Know ・Future business opportunities considered from national policies and certain roadmaps ・Grasping the world from the "upstream," quickly creating an information "pond" in one's mind ・Securing the future that is sure to come ・How to grasp markets where there is a gap between supply and demand… of course, fewer competitors are better… ・Foreseeing new industries emerging from M&A and industry restructuring trends ・Thinking about how to interpret changes in different industries ~ eliminating unknown industries ・What is worth doing precisely in the generative AI era… hints are always on the opposite side ・What is the importance of "human intelligence" that should be known precisely in the AI era ・Everyone should know… there are exactly three triggers that change business ・Connecting information to think about the "next" and further fantasize about the "next next" ・"Treasure" resides in certain ranking data announced in Spring 2026 ・What is the existence of disruptors (industry destroyers) to watch out for outside the AI domain… ・What are the movements of investors to keep an eye on ・5 data points to know to understand global growth strategies ・Recommendation of "Imaginary M&A" ・Important things for future foresight ・Explanation of key business points to know at the beginning of fiscal year 2026

5. Introduction to the Latest Business Information Sources to Watch in the AI Era for "Future Foresight" ・What are the must-read books for future exploration and new business managers/personnel right now ・Early bird! What are the must-see overseas tech sites, and who are the "notable people" to watch? ・Recommended high-value subscription newsletters and subscription news sources ・Domestic and international websites, commercial databases, news apps for new business personnel ・Notable domestic and international databases, URLs, YouTube, Podcasts, etc.

6. Q&A / Business Card Exchange

[Contact Information] Shin Shakai System Sogo Kenkyusho Zymax Nishi-Shinbashi Bldg. 4F, 2-6-2 Nishi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Email: info@ssk21.co.jp TEL: 03-5532-8850 FAX: 03-5532-8851 URL: https://www.ssk21.co.jp