On Friday, April 25, 2025, the third session of the Academic Frontier Lecture Series, “Looking Ahead Thirty Years—Changing Liberal Arts, Liberal Arts as Change”, was held in Building 18 of the University of Tokyo’s Komaba Campus. Professor Kazuo Hiraki (Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies / Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo) delivered a lecture titled “What I, at 90, Can Do for You at 30 in 2050: Toward a New Science of Development.”

Opening with the question, “What can we do now to ensure happiness thirty years from now?”, and concluding with “What can you do today for those who will be 30 in 2050?”, Professor Hiraki reflected on his journey from AI research to baby science and his current work in developmental cognitive science. He emphasized key challenges facing the field—such as the lack of longitudinal data across the life course, disciplinary fragmentation, and experimental paradigm gaps—and proposed the concept of a Distributed Personal Data Store (PDS) as a new possibility for enriching future data sharing.

The lecture also explored how emerging technologies influence infant development, prompting a reconsideration of how we engage with technology in the age of AI. Active discussions followed, especially regarding the ethical and scientific implications of PDS and the relationship between technology and human development.

Shinhye Hong (EAA Research Assistant)