Designing Tomorrow’s Societies: How Leeds Students Created Real-World Solutions in Japan
In spring 2026, 20 Leeds students participated in a two-week program in partnership with Ludus Labs. In Tokyo and Nagoya, they visited startups, hospitals, research centers, rural communities and universities to understand how AI and automation can strengthen healthcare, mobility, caregiving and community resilience.
Most AI courses begin with technology.
At Leeds, AI & Automation for Tomorrow’s Societies (BAIM 3300) begins with people.
Offered through the Management Information Systems program, the course asks students to explore a question that will shape the next generation of business leaders: How should technology serve societies facing urgent challenges?
Through the course’s “Build in Japan” initiative, 鶹ѰBoulder students work alongside peers from Nagoya University to examine one of the world's most urgent demographic challenges—Japan's rapidly aging population. Rather than building generic AI applications first, students conduct field research, collaborate across cultures and develop venture concepts designed to address real human needs. The result is a learning experience that feels less like a traditional study abroad program and more like a global startup studio.
In spring 2026, 20 Leeds students participated in the program in partnership with , an innovation education company that connects students, universities and industry to solve real-world challenges through tech, entrepreneurship and international experiential learning. During two weeks in Tokyo and Nagoya, they visited startups, hospitals, research centers, rural communities and universities to understand how AI and automation can strengthen healthcare, mobility, caregiving and community resilience.
Students consistently described the experience as transformative. One participant summarized the approach this way: “Professor Brady does a great job teaching in a lifelong learning style and how to leverage tools to learn cutting-edge technology while incorporating a strong ethical perspective.”
Learning from tomorrow’s society
Japan offers students more than an international destination—it provides a preview of challenges that many advanced economies will soon face. Labor shortages, healthcare demands, rural depopulation, social isolation and aging populations are already reshaping Japanese society. By studying these issues firsthand, students gain insight into how AI and automation can address complex societal problems while remaining grounded in ethics and human needs.
Rather than asking, What can AI build? the course asks, What should AI build?
A startup studio inside a business school course
The Course Architecture
FOUNDATION
Japan's historical, institutional, and demographic transformation
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TECHNOLOGY PRIMER
TCP/IP, OSI, workflow systems, automation, AI, LLMs, AI agents
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DESIGN SPRINT
Ideation, product sketches, venture development
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GLOBAL COLLABORATION
鶹ѰBoulder + Nagoya University teams
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FIELD VALIDATION
Hospitals, startups, robotics labs, elder care facilities, rural communities
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VENTURE PRESENTATION
Final pitches at Nagoya University “Idea Store”
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REFLECTION & MICROCREDENTIALS
Portable credentials, professional portfolios, future learning
The AI & Automation course combines historical context, technical skills, design thinking, entrepreneurship and international collaboration into a single learning experience. Students first explore Japan's demographic and institutional progression before learning about AI models, automation, SaaS platforms and emerging technologies. They then work in international teams to identify problems, conduct research, develop prototypes and validate their ideas with stakeholders across Japan. This progression ensures technology serves the problem—not the other way around.
The 15-day experience immerses students in Japan's innovation ecosystem. Instead of learning about entrepreneurship through case studies alone, students engage directly with founders, clinicians, researchers, caregivers and public-sector leaders. Visits to organizations such as Google for Startups, Techstars Tokyo, Nagoya University Hospital, the university's xR Center and rural healthcare facilities expose students to the realities of innovation in aging societies.
Those experiences shape the ventures they ultimately build.
A visit to the xR Center (short for AR/VR/MR), for example, challenged students to think about immersive technologies not as novel gadgets but as tools that could improve medical training, patient communication and clinical teamwork. Rural healthcare visits in Nakatsugawa brought demographic change into sharp focus, revealing how declining populations affect healthcare access, local economies and community life.
Throughout the experience, AI remains a tool for augmenting human capability rather than replacing it—a principle that defines the program's human-centered approach.
From field research to venture concepts
Working in international teams, students transformed their observations into startup-style ventures addressing the challenges of shrinking societies.
Student Venture Portfolio
| Project | Core Concept | Primary Users |
| Kizuki Care | AI-powered clinical documentation and care intelligence | Hospitals and healthcare providers |
| Akira Care | Knowledge-sharing platform for medical professionals | Healthcare institutions |
| Kizuna Village | Marketplace connecting corporations with rural communities | Businesses and local governments |
| Anshin Care | Smart medication adherence system | Older adults, caregivers and families |
| Kizuna | Robotics- and sensor-enabled elder-care safety network | Elder-care facilities |
Although each team tackled a different challenge, common themes emerged. Students designed solutions for entire systems rather than individual users, using AI to support clinicians, caregivers and communities—instead of replacing them. The strongest ideas were grounded in firsthand observation, demonstrating how field research can lead to more thoughtful innovation.
Not every concept is intended to become a company. The deeper goal is to help students think like entrepreneurs and intraprenuers: identifying meaningful problems, testing assumptions, defining an addressable market, working across cultures, and communicating ideas with clarity and purpose.
Career-readiness beyond the classroom
The experience gives students tangible evidence of what they have learned. Through microcredentials and venture portfolios, students can demonstrate competencies in global entrepreneurship, design thinking, AI and automation, primary market research, venture pitching and cross-cultural collaboration—credentials that extend well beyond a course grade.
| Theme | Student Reflection |
| Human reality of aging | "The resilience of Japanese elderly and their care workers." |
| Personal growth | "The presentation had the biggest impact on what I thought I could personally achieve." |
| Prototype development | "This program gave me the tools to create a usable prototype and present it in front of a board." |
| Cross-cultural collaboration | "I learned the most about working with a new culture and their way of thinking." |
Building the future of business education
Most study abroad programs introduce students to a new culture. Most AI courses introduce new technologies. Most entrepreneurship courses teach startup frameworks. “Build in Japan” combines all three.
By treating Japan as a living laboratory for demographic change, the program prepares students to navigate complex systems, collaborate across cultures and apply AI responsibly to real-world challenges. Students leave not only with technical skills, but with a deeper understanding of how innovation can improve people's lives.
As AI continues to reshape business and society, the leaders who stand out will be those who can pair technological fluency with empathy, curiosity and responsible decision-making. At Leeds, AI & Automation for Tomorrow's Societies gives students an opportunity to begin building those capabilities today.
Student Perspectives
Students shared their reflections on LinkedIn.
Dylan Kyle (Ѳ’26)
“What stayed with me most was Japan itself. You can ride a bullet train at 200 miles an hour and step off into a neighborhood that hasn't changed in centuries. Technology is everywhere and completely absent, sometimes within the same block. Studying AI and automation in a country where the future is already here, and the gaps in it are just as visible, made every conversation land differently.”
Louis Stempfer (BusAna, Mktg’26)
“Our interdisciplinary and international team worked through the full venture creation process, from problem discovery and field research to prototyping and pitching. What made this experience especially meaningful was the opportunity to explore AI implementation through an ethical and human-centered lens, balancing innovation with the realities of care, trust, and accessibility.”
Giselle Wipper (’26)
“Beyond the competition results, the most valuable takeaway was seeing how innovation happens at the intersection of technology, culture, policy, and human need. The conversations with entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals, researchers, and community leaders reinforced that the best solutions are built by deeply understanding the people they serve.”
