Humanitext Project

Message from the Project Leader

Our project is also characterized by the wide range of fields covered by our joint research, so please feel free to send us a message!

●Project Leader: Naoya Iwata
Contact: iwata.naoya.y7[at]f.mail.nagoya-u.ac.jp
*Change [at] to @.

Project Details

“I wonder what the ancients thought happened to the soul after death?”

We live in an age where if you ask the ChatGPT, you will immediately get an answer that captures the context. On the other hand, the sources of this information are a mixed bag. They are unreliable and difficult to apply to research.

In Western classical studies, textual databases of various reliable information have been developed mainly overseas. Nowadays, one can access a vast amount of high-quality information online, including original works, various dictionaries, grammars, translations, and commentaries. On the other hand, a search for “soul” in a database, for example, returns tens of thousands of hits. Which entries containing the word “soul” are relevant in the context of “soul after death”? It would be a lost cause to check them all to make sure nothing is left out.

If you could present the information in context–based on reliable sources–that would be a great help.

The research methods of Western classical studies will undergo a dramatic transformation. This project aims to create an international platform for research in the humanities, including Western classics, originating in Japan.

Furthermore, we are also looking to expand this platform to fields outside of Western classical studies. As an example of application, we are also developing an AI system to assist in providing accurate information on laws and regulations and understanding background information. If we can lower the hurdle for our citizens to understand difficult and complex laws and regulations, we may be able to discuss their proper operation and validity.

Other social issues that need to be addressed in order to introduce the technology of generative AI into humanities research include the establishment of research methods, ethical guidelines, and educational systems for utilizing LLM based on a data infrastructure that guarantees academic reliability. The goal of this project is to present a new research and educational methodology called AI Humanities to the public.

(Text by Tatsuro Ayatsuka)

Gallery

Financial resources

◆Hagiwara Foundation for the Promotion of Science “Promotion of Western Classical Studies and Education Using Large-Scale Language Models
◆Mitsubishi Foundation for the Humanities
◆Recommended Joint Research “ROIS-DS-JOINT2024-1” General joint research (RP) “Research on AI-driven textual analysis and database extension techniques for Western Classical Studies
◆Project for Creation of Future Society (Academia Composition) “Development of Reliability-Oriented Information Provision System for Laws and Regulations

Publication

■Article/Nagoya University Research Achievement Site (2024/5/30) “You can consult Socrates about your life with a generative AI! Development of a Dialogue System Contributing to the Breakthrough of Western Classical Studies”
https://www.nagoya-u.ac.jp/researchinfo/result/2024/05/ai-14.html
■Article/Chunichi Shimbun (2024/5/31) “Can you consult Aristotle about your life?　Generative AI system for Western classical references, developed by Nagoya University and others”.
https://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/906842
■Article/NHK NEWS WEB (2024/6/12) “Consult the great men! How can they solve our modern problems?
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20240612/k10014478351000.html
■Article/NHK Nagoya Broadcasting Station (2024/6/19) “Consult Aristotle! How can the great men of antiquity solve the problems of our time?
https://www.nhk.or.jp/nagoya/lreport/article/005/05/
■Kyodo News (2024/7/6) “Can we consult Socrates about life? Nagoya University’s AI dialogue system” (2024/7/6) “Can you consult Socrates?
https://www.47news.jp/11159337.html
■Article/Institute for the Promotion of Academic Research, Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration, Nagoya University (2024/7/12) “One year since ‘Let’s make something! One year after “Let’s make something!”, the collaboration between Western classics and AI is in hot progress”.
https://note.com/nagoya_ura/n/n531e7ae84f13
■TV/radio program/BS Fuji Galileo X (2024/7/28) “Everyday Life with Generative AI
■Newspaper/magazine/Kodomo no Kagaku (September 2024) “Dialogue with philosophers like Socrates with AI?
https://www.seibundo-shinkosha.net/magazine/kids/89102/
■Article/Chunichi Shimbun (2024/8/20) “Can ‘Dialogue’ with Aristotle, too: The Challenge of a Western Classics Researcher Who Was an Amateur at AI and Programming”
https://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/945973
■Article/CocaNet (2024/8/20) “Generative AI can talk with philosophers like Socrates!
https://www.kodomonokagaku.com/read/81327/