Science and technology policy expert discusses AI integration and knowledge transfer

Kazuhito Hashimoto, President of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), discusses the necessity of developing ‘AI stewards’ to preserve tacit knowledge within scientific and technological policy-making.

Reflecting on his experience in research security policy, Hashimoto highlights the importance of ‘translation’—the ability to bridge the gap between government objectives, such as preventing technology leakage, and the fundamental scientific values of researchers, such as international exchange and open publication. He notes that effective policy-making often relies on undocumented decision-making processes, including the timing and manner of communication with stakeholders.

To prevent this critical expertise from being lost, Hashimoto suggests that organizations should move beyond using AI merely as secretaries or avatars, instead focusing on training AI to act as stewards that can capture and pass on the nuanced judgment required for complex institutional coordination.