60% of companies expect to continue feeling the effects of COVID-19 for a year or more More and more companies are taking steps to enable remote working, but only around 20% of companies have initiated fully-fledged DX promotion and AI utilization – Results of a questionnaire survey on COVID-19 among 115 companies and 157 individual respondents –
On April 22 (Wed.), ExaWizards Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & President: Ko Ishiyama; hereinafter, “ExaWizards”) carried out a questionnaire survey among companies taking part in an online AI seminar on exaCommunity, a service administered by this company, eliciting answers from 115 companies and 157 individual respondents.
Q: How long do you think your company will continue to feel the effects of COVID-19?
When asked until when they expect to continue feeling the effects of COVID-19, most companies answered “Until December 2020” (33.8% of all answers). This was followed by “Until June 2021” and “Until December 2021” (21.7% respectively). Overall, 59.9% of companies that provided an answer expect to continue feeling the effects of COVID-19 into 2021 and beyond (a year or more), showing how companies are aware that the COVID-19 era will be a long and drawn out battle.
Q: Have you started anything new as measures for coping in the COVID-19 era? (Multiple answers)
In terms of new things companies had started as measures for coping in the COVID-19 era, more than 50% of companies answered “Enabled external and internal meetings to be held remotely.” Meanwhile, most answers remained under 20% for other measures – i.e. “Proposal and execution of new digital products,” “Utilization of big data analysis and AI,” and “Advanced DX.” While companies were half forced into adopting remote working in response to the declared state of emergency in Japan, they tend not to have got around to adopting fuller measures, such as DX promotion or the utilization of AI.
Q: Have you taken (or are thinking of taking) any initiatives to prepare for the post-COVID-19 era? (Multiple answers)
In terms of initiatives to prepare for the post-COVID-19 era, 65% of companies answered “Complete introduction of remote working” as a way of redesigning their work style, showing that the idea of remote working, which companies initially commenced in response to the declared state of emergency in Japan, has taken hold at companies. In regard to other measures, more companies cited “offensive” policies such as developing new businesses or DX than “defensive” measures such as cutting costs or the streamlining of existing operations.
Survey targets: 115 companies and 157 individual respondents who are currently implementing or considering DX promotion or the introduction of AI
Date of survey: April 22, 2020 (Wed.)
Now holding online workshops on the introduction of AI and DX promotion for the post-COVID-19 era
exaCommunity, administered by ExaWizards, is a fee-based service for corporate members who use AI. By providing reports on case examples of using AI in business, video learning, articles, offline exchange meetings, events, etc., it helps corporations and their staff to solve issues and create new business by using AI.
Due to the recent spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), we are now holding offline events online instead, and have put in place a fuller range of video content and articles through which people can learn about AI. We will continue to add to our online content to allow even those companies that have already introduced teleworking to actively learn more about AI.
In addition, we are also holding free online workshops for members on the introduction of AI and DX promotion to help them consider the kinds of challenges they will face in the post-COVID-19 era, and how to drive through reform. These workshops focus on the following three themes: “revising management strategy,” “reinforcing existing business operations through DX,” and “capitalizing on new business opportunities.” Based on these, we will help companies share their awareness of the issues through debates which bring the key members of companies together in a single virtual space, as well as through case study research and knowledge-sharing carried out by ExaWizards, which has been involved in over 100 projects a year helping companies introduce AI.
Overview of the exaCommunity service
Content: Fee-based service for corporate members who use AI
Annual membership fee: 150,000 yen (excl. tax) *5 IDs are issued per registration (= 5 people can access at the same time)
Link: https://community.exawizards.com/
Applications for registration: https://community.exawizards.com/entry/
Example video content
The Future of Employment, by Dr. Michael A. Osborne: Online talk event via video streaming
“Surviving in the AI Age! Future Skills that Every Adult should learn”
Sample viewing: https://community.exawizards.com/member/yomoyama/sample_001/
Example online event
Online AI seminar by Ko Ishiyama, Representative Director & President of ExaWizards Inc.
“exaCommunity Special Seminar: Textbook for DX” (total 5 sessions)
Sample viewing: https://community.exawizards.com/member/yomoyama/sample_002/
[About ExaWizards Inc.]
Sticking to our mission: Solving social issues through Artificial Intelligence for future generations, we develop and commercialize AI products in a wide range of areas from caregiving, medical care, and human resource management to robotics and finance. Our members represent a kaleidoscopic variety of talent, including not only AI engineers but also software and hardware engineers, strategy consultants, UI/UX designers, as well as subject matter experts, researchers, and policy experts specializing in caregiving and other fields. Based in Japan, a super-aging society, ExaWizards, engages in product development with a thorough understanding of the front-line needs and issues in each field, while expanding globally through business development initiatives at overseas bases.
Website: https://exawizards.com/en/