From Researcher to Practical Applications,
Young Engineer Taking on the Challenge of
Implementing AI Technology in Society
Technology Development Division —
Yang Dongsheng（Interview conducted in 2025）
-What kind of research did you do before joining Neural Group?
Yang：My last position was as part of my doctoral course at the Graduate School of Informatics, University of Kyoto. Alongside the team at RIKEN’s Guardian Robotics Project (GRP), I researched how to reproduce human emotions and facial expressions in android robots. I focused on creating AI models that mimic people’s emotions and expressions, enabling androids to display them naturally. The results of this research were two research papers picked up by international conferences, and one was published by a renowned publisher in the robotics world called IROS (IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems). Looking ahead, I wanted to take my research further into society, so I decided to join Neural Group. At graduate school I majored in informatics - focusing on fields such as machine learning, statistics, and deep learning. This knowledge has provided an extremely important foundation for my research into modeling human emotions into complex android facial expressions.
-What motivated you to join Neural Group?
Yang：I was drawn to how appealing Neural Group’s candidate selection process was. The interview process was longer than I thought - but my discussions with Mikami-san (CTO) were so fun and enriching every time. Rather than feeling like a formal interview, I felt like we were thinking together about a problem and working together to solve it, which left a strong impression on me. I was also able to visit the office during the selection process, which allowed me to get a feel for the actual atmosphere and receive thorough feedback, which helped me to see that I align with Neural Group's culture and values.
-What are your current responsibilities?
Yang：As an AI engineer, while using cutting edge AI models, I’m working on the advancement of our company's products such as our smart city service ‘DigiSolution’ and 1on1 service ‘KizunaNavi’. In particular, I aim to improve the user experience by improving the accuracy of existing functionalities and introducing new technologies. It's extremely rewarding to be involved in the process of applying the knowledge I've gained through research to an actual product.
-What is your team like?
Yang：The team atmosphere is very relaxed, and it's an environment where you can take your time on your work. The culture in the team is that they value a deep understanding of your field, and I'm very grateful that working carefully and without rushing is welcomed. We also have "club activities" within the company, and employees will meet up with each other outside of work. I think that being able to communicate not only at work but also in relaxed situations helps to create a sense of unity as a team.
-Finally, what do you feel is the biggest appeal of Neural Group?
Yang：What I value is the balance between a comfortable working environment and the opportunity to take on new challenges. The flexible core-time system allows me to focus at my own pace, and the view from the office is nice for a refreshing break. It is also highly rewarding to be directly involved in building services that address real-world challenges through AI. At Neural Group, we don’t stop at proof-of-concept experiments—we develop products with “business-first” principles. That makes it possible to bridge the gap between research and implementation, and to take on work that creates real impact on society.
