Policy Management as Answered by ChatGPT | Tomoki Kamo, Dean of the Faculty of Policy Management
2023.05.02
Soon after the new semester began, the editors of the book series "Opening Up Policy Management" gathered at Tablier, the Faculty Club on the Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC). They were celebrating the series' publication. Since the book project began amidst the spread of COVID-19, this was actually the first time all the editors had met in person. Their joy was compounded when the entire series was reprinted in April.
On that day, President Kohei Ito visited SFC. The President attended a joint faculty meeting of the Faculty of Policy Management, the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, and the Graduate School of Media and Governance, where he shared his thoughts on the future of education and research at Keio and the direction of its reform. At Tablier, inspired by this atmosphere, the editors engaged in a lively discussion about "the ideal student profile to be cultivated through policy management."
The nature of education in an environment where generative AI is rapidly proliferating—in other words, how human creativity should confront evolving technology—naturally became the focus of the discussion. The idea of banning ChatGPT when educating students who will have to navigate a society where AI is a given seemed out of place. While everyone quickly agreed on this point, they struggled with how to coexist with it, how to master it, and, as a practical matter, how to handle grading in the courses they taught.
As the discussion progressed, I don't recall whose suggestion it was, but someone proposed that we ask ChatGPT about "the ideal candidate sought by the Faculty of Policy Management."
We posed the following to ChatGPT: "You are the dean of the Faculty of Policy Management at Keio University. You are tasked with considering the type of human resources the Faculty of Policy Management should cultivate, looking 20 years into the future. With an eye on anticipated future changes such as globalization and technological evolution, please consider and explain the ideal graduate this faculty should nurture for the future. Please think about it step by step."
After a few exchanges, ChatGPT responded, "The ideal graduate of the Faculty of Policy Management to be nurtured for the future is as follows," and organized its answer into five elements.
Namely,
Understanding of and ability to solve social issues: Individuals who have a deep understanding of the challenges facing future society and can propose solutions.
Data literacy: Individuals who can utilize data analysis and AI technology for policymaking and problem-solving.
Global communicators: Individuals with the communication and collaboration skills to thrive in international cooperation and multicultural environments.
Promoters of sustainable development: Individuals who can formulate policies that emphasize environmental protection and social and economic sustainability.
Creativity and flexibility: Individuals who can leverage new technologies and information to generate innovative ideas with flexible thinking.
It then summarized as follows.
To realize these ideal graduate profiles, the education and support provided by the Faculty of Policy Management are crucial. It is necessary to constantly review and improve the faculty's curriculum and educational policies to flexibly respond to future changes. Furthermore, it is important to continue supporting graduates after they leave, so they can be active in society and put into practice what they learned at the Faculty of Policy Management. Through these efforts, the Faculty of Policy Management will be able to continue cultivating human resources who contribute to future society.
Indeed.
So we asked it the following: "Thank you. Please combine the five elements above to describe the ideal candidate sought by the Faculty of Policy Management in about 400 Japanese characters. Please craft it as an appealing text that will captivate the reader."
This was the answer it gave.
The Keio University Faculty of Policy Management cultivates innovative individuals who will lead future society. This ideal person is someone who possesses a deep understanding of and ability to solve social issues, and who can tackle problems with a creative approach by making full use of data and AI technologies. They are also global communicators who can thrive in international cooperation and multicultural environments, and are well-versed in policymaking to achieve sustainable development.
The individuals cultivated at the Faculty of Policy Management are leaders who combine flexibility and creativity, capable of adapting to the changing times while creating new value. They aim to make a positive impact on society and, by understanding diverse values and cultures, become figures who will build the future together with people from all over the world. The Keio University Faculty of Policy Management aims to nurture such compelling individuals and produce future leaders who will take flight into the world.
Seeing this response, I and everyone else were impressed. But we were also relieved. Perhaps it is difficult for artificial intelligence to capture the essence of a leader.
I was suddenly reminded of a passage from Richard Nixon's "Leaders": "It is not enough for a leader to know what is right. He must do what is right. No matter how much one calls oneself a leader, one who lacks the judgment and intuition required for right decisions is disqualified for want of vision. One who may know what is right but cannot do it is also disqualified for want of execution. A great leader must have the vision and also the power to do what is right. It is possible to hire a manager to do the job, but it is the sole responsibility of the leader to set the course and provide the driving force."
If policy management is the discipline that generates the power to overcome the various problems facing real-world society and to create the future, then what is the role of the leader that policy management seeks? It must lie not only in outlining the philosophy that expresses "what kind of governance we are aiming for" to overcome problems, but also in presenting and implementing the policies that show "how to implement that philosophy." The individual essays in the book series "Opening Up Policy Management" discuss the academic studies that give rise to the qualities essential for a leader. And it is not artificial intelligence, but the readers themselves, who can envision the ideal leader.