Providing New Scenarios for "karafuru AI" to Sharpen Managers' Dialogue Skills

NTT Business Solutions Corporation (Headquarters: Miyakojima-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture; President & CEO: Hidenori Kigami; hereinafter "NTT Business Solutions") and Lean on Me Corporation (Headquarters: Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture; CEO: Shunsuke Shimura; hereinafter "Lean on Me"), which provides e-learning services to deepen understanding of disabilities, have started offering a 1-on-1 situation (question) themed around disabilities supervised by Lean on Me. This scenario is provided within "karafuru AI (*1)," an unconscious bias training tool utilizing generative AI provided by NTT Business Solutions, to support the promotion of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) and improve managers' communication skills in companies.

*1 karafuru AI: https://www.nttbizsol.jp/service/karafuru-ai

1. Background

In recent years, driven by the increase in the statutory employment rate and the obligation of reasonable accommodation following the revision of the "Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities," the importance of promoting employment of persons with disabilities and advancing DE&I in companies has been increasing. On the other hand, frontline managers and colleagues often voice concerns such as, "I don't know how to interact with subordinates who have diverse characteristics," or "I'm worried that the accommodations I thought were helpful might actually be a burden."

Behind these concerns exist unconscious assumptions and prejudices (unconscious biases) such as "this is what a disability is," which can cause miscommunication and hinder the career development of the individuals involved. Therefore, there is a need to create an environment where corporate managers can understand diverse characteristics and practice appropriate communication in daily dialogues.

NTT Business Solutions has been providing a service that promotes awareness of unconscious bias and behavioral change through training based on workplace 1-on-1 scenes using the generative AI tool "karafuru AI."

Meanwhile, Lean on Me has been supporting the creation of inclusive workplace environments by providing online training such as "Special Learning" to deepen the understanding of disabilities for welfare sites and companies.

The two companies have started providing a more practical communication training tool by combining the knowledge on understanding disability characteristics and communication accumulated by Lean on Me with the training tool utilizing generative AI technology from NTT Business Solutions.

2. Overview

The newly provided content consists of scenarios (questions) based on cases frequently encountered in actual workplaces, such as interviews with members who require accommodations due to invisible conditions like mental illness, and dialogues regarding operational accommodations.

Users textually input "how they would communicate" in response to situations presented on "karafuru AI." Subsequently, by receiving feedback from the generative AI regarding the presence of unconscious bias and perspectives on accommodating the other party's characteristics, users reflect on their own thinking and speaking tendencies, promoting behavioral change toward inclusive communication.

3. Expected Effects

- Promotion of Inclusive Communication
Through practical case studies based on an understanding of disabilities, it supports the improvement of managers' ability to communicate appropriately with diverse members.

- Deepening Awareness of Unconscious Bias
It encourages awareness of unconscious assumptions and prejudices through feedback from generative AI.

- Improving the Effectiveness of DE&I Promotion
In addition to establishing systems, it supports the creation of organizations where diverse talent can thrive through the improvement of daily 1-on-1 communication.

4. Roles of Each Company

- NTT Business Solutions
Through the provision of karafuru AI, it connects individual awareness to behavioral change, backing the cultural reform of the entire organization.

- Lean on Me
Leveraging its knowledge on understanding disabilities and reasonable accommodation, it develops and provides training scenarios (questions) that align with actual workplaces.

5. Future Outlook

Through this initiative, NTT Business Solutions and Lean on Me aim to support the improvement of DE&I management skills among corporate managers and HR personnel, establishing high-quality communication that overcomes unconscious bias.

Going forward, the two companies will deepen their collaboration and aim for a society where all working people can work authentically, regardless of whether they have a disability.