34 Participants from Three Companies Outside ZHD Group Join Z Holdings' Humanities AI Talent Development Program

- Aiming to diversify learning outcomes through the exchange of opinions and knowledge from within and outside the ZHD Group

Z Academia, the in-house university of Z Holdings Corporation (hereinafter "ZHD"), welcomed 34 employees from PERSOL CAREER CO., LTD., dip Corporation and CA ADvance, Inc. to participate in the first lecture of the six-month practical program for the implementation of AI, which begins in August. This is the first time that the Z Academia's course is opened to participants from outside the ZHD Group companies.

Z Humanities AI School is a special program (seven online lectures) provided in Z AI Academia, a community that promotes the sharing of AI case studies and business collaboration within the ZHD Group and fosters AI talent in both the humanities and sciences. The community is geared not only to researchers and engineers, but also to product managers, producers, and other positions that utilize AI. The first term of Z Humanities AI School, held from September 2021 to March 2022, was participated by 674 employees from a total of 26 ZHD Group companies, and resulted in approximately 400 AI projects.

The second term of Z Humanities AI School (held from August 2022 to February 2023) will expand learning opportunities to companies outside the Group in the area of AI, a topic of high social interest and one in which the ZHD Group can utilize its accumulated know-how as an Internet corporate group operating in a wide range of business domains including media, commerce, and fintech.

Z Humanities AI School is a practical program for so-called humanities professions. Starting with a lecture on the environment surrounding AI personnel and the knowledge and mindset required, participants will learn the basics of AI and the latest case studies, experience creating a purchase prediction model for a fictitious web service using sample data, and finally, as a practical workshop, plan a service that utilizes AI based on the five Ws and How.

In the first term of Z Humanities AI School, the average scores of participants improved in all seven AI skills (AI human resource mindset, AI basic terminology, AI structural understanding, AI case study collection, AI planning, AI discernment, and AI management) as a result of the course. In addition, AI projects initiated by the participants advanced to the Proof of Concept stage at the Group companies to which they belong, enhancing the level of ZHD Group's AI-related knowledge and practical capabilities.

Z Academia will invigorate Z Humanities AI School through the sharing of various opinions and knowledge generated by the exchange of personnel from within and outside the ZHD Group, creating more diverse learning outcomes, and evolving Z Humanities AI School as a forum for learning and exchange. The ZHD Group aims to produce people capable of creating new value, and to contribute to the advancement of AI and ultimately to the development of society through AI.

Z Academia plans to continue to create opportunities to expand the horizontal framework for teaching and learning within and outside the Group, and to promote its open door policy in the future. Through Z Academia, the ZHD Group will promote the development of next-generation leaders not only through the acquisition of specialized knowledge, but also through the exchange of knowledge and diverse opinions from within and outside the Group.

■ Z Humanities AI School - Outline of Second Term

-  Period: August 2022 - February 2023
-  Program: Seven lectures; 2 hours each (tentative)
   Lecture 1: Learn to Become a Humanities AI Talent!
   Lecture 2: AI Basics, a Comprehensive Review
   Lecture 3: Going Over ZHD's AI Cases  
   Lecture 4: Experience Implementation of AI Using No-Code
   Lecture 5: Great Changes Caused by Ultra Large-Scale Language Models
   Lecture 6: Learn AI Project Management from an Active Project Manager
   Lecture 7: Practical Workshop on Creating AI Projects

* Timing and programs are subject to change.

■ Z Academia

Z Academia, which provides various classes covering a wide range of topics, was established in April 2020 to provide a forum for interactions and foundation for synergies to be created among the employees of the ZHD Group companies and to improve the basic skills of the employees. In FY2021, 201 courses* open to all the employees of the Z Holdings Group were held and participated by a total of approximately 26,000 employees. In FY2022, Z Sustainability Academia was launched to realize sustainability transformation (SX), and ZHD is working to create synergies through the exchange of extensive human capital within the Group.

*155 courses held as seminars; 46 courses held as archived video

■ Reference

Z Holdings Establishes Z AI Academia to Develop AI Professionals with Dual Focus on Arts and Sciences
https://www.z-holdings.co.jp/en/news/press-releases/2021/0715/

Z Holdings Corporation Announces the "Z Holdings Group Basic Policy on AI Ethics"
https://www.z-holdings.co.jp/en/news/press-releases/2022/0706/

AI-Related Courses Thrive in In-House University "Z Academia" ― What Were the Take-Aways from Z Humanities AI School?
https://www.z-holdings.co.jp/strategy/09/ (Japanese only)