Shaping Future Leaders: AI Workshop for Students at Kudanshita Secondary School

On October 31, 2025, AlSaga Partners, a company dedicated to promoting digital transformation (DX), organized an engaging workshop for first-year students at Kudanshita Secondary School in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The workshop aimed to familiarize students with the school's proprietary AI tool, 'otomotto', and encouraged them to think critically about its potential future functionalities.

Understanding the Educational AI Tool: 'otomotto'

Kudanshita Secondary School, designated as a Leading DX School by Japan’s Ministry of Education, is at the forefront of implementing advanced educational DX strategies. AlSaga Partners supported the development of 'otomotto', an internal AI learning assistance tool designed for a secure school environment.

The focus of 'otomotto' is to enable safe and efficient use of AI in the classroom, particularly among minors. By incorporating stringent security measures, it allows students to interact with the tool without external disruptions, addressing concerns related to AI risks. The versatility of 'otomotto' comes from its ability to select from various large language models (LLM) for tailored experiences. It supports chat functions, image generation, and other capabilities, creating a rich learning environment where both students and teachers can craft and share their unique prompts.

Workshop Overview: Experiencing AI and Considering New Features

The workshop was structured into three main segments: learning about DX and AI, experiencing 'otomotto', and brainstorming new features.

Learning about DX and AI

The initial section focused on reinforcing the definition of digital transformation. The workshop framed DX as fundamentally altering products, services, business models, and organizational culture through digital technologies. The students explored relatable examples including smartphone communication, public transportation IC cards, and self-checkout technologies, alongside 'otomotto' as a prime illustration of DX in action.

Experiencing 'otomotto'

In the second part, students engaged hands-on with 'otomotto', reinforcing the idea that AI serves as a supportive resource. Participants were tasked with leveraging the AI for various activities, such as asking for effective study tips for English vocabulary, generating humorous content, or discussing personal challenges. This session clarified the distinction between traditional AI and generative AI; where traditional AI typically fetches answers, generative AI creates unique responses based on extensive data.

Brainstorming New Features

During the final segment, students collaborated to ideate new features for 'otomotto', focusing on its potential as a comprehensive educational tool. They were encouraged to look for enhancements that could make the service more user-friendly and impactful.

Workshop Steps:

- Step 1: Identify desired features based on personal experiences with 'otomotto' and everyday challenges.
- Step 2: Utilize 'otomotto' to seek AI suggestions and merge personal ideas with AI insights.
- Step 3: Share and discuss proposed ideas with team members, learning from each other's suggestions and use cases.

Some of the innovative ideas proposed include:

- An error analysis and countermeasure function that examines mistakes to provide corrective suggestions.
- A design and font suggestion tool for optimal presentation material customization.
- An image editing feature allowing specific area adjustments rather than entire images.
- A transformation capability for reformulating casual expressions into more formal ones, considering the context.

Students' Feedback

Students expressed enthusiasm about their learnings on AI’s importance and its role in shaping their understanding of digital transformation. Many felt empowered by the creative process of improving 'otomotto' for the benefit of others, highlighting their desire to contribute positively to society.

Conclusion

The students from Kudanshita Secondary School demonstrated an impressive proclivity for proactive idea generation, indicative of their comfort with 'otomotto'. Their spirited discussions and collaborative efforts led to a deeper understanding of DX and AI's implications on their future.

Upon returning to school, students will continue to refine their proposed ideas, with a showcase scheduled for January 2026, where they will present their envisioned features of 'otomotto'. AlSaga Partners aspires to contribute to nurturing the next generation of tech leaders through such educational initiatives, supporting students in developing their critical thinking and problem-solving skills while exploring the broad possibilities of their future.