あなたの研究テーマについて教えてください。What is your research theme?
Research Theme: Aging, Cognitive Health, and LLM Models
Research Title: AI-based Speech and Language Processing for Aging and Cognitive Health
Summary of Research Activities: My research mainly focuses on using artificial intelligence technologies to analyze the speech and language characteristics of older adults and individuals with cognitive decline, while exploring the applications of large-scale speech models, large language models, and other AI models in research on aging and cognitive health.
Academic Significance: This research combines artificial intelligence and speech and language processing with research on aging and cognitive science. Most existing speech and language models are developed primarily using data from younger and healthy populations, while the speech of older adults and the language expressions of individuals with cognitive decline often exhibit distinctly different characteristics. Therefore, systematically analyzing these speech and language phenomena can improve the ability of AI systems to process elderly and atypical speech, while also helping to reveal how aging and changes in cognitive function affect speech production, language organization, and narrative behavior. Furthermore, by incorporating large-scale AI models, this research can explore more generalizable, interpretable, and cross-lingually adaptable approaches to cognitive-related speech and language analysis.
Potential Impact on Society: As the global population continues to age, issues related to the cognitive health of older adults are becoming an increasingly important societal challenge. Speech and language are natural, non-invasive, low-cost, and easily accessible sources of information, and therefore have the potential to serve as important sources for assessing and continuously monitoring cognitive status. In the future, this research may contribute to cognitive health monitoring for older adults, early identification of cognitive decline, support for assessment by healthcare and caregiving professionals, and the development of intelligent interactive systems that are better suited to older adults and individuals with cognitive impairments. By improving the ability of AI systems to understand the speech and language of older adults, this research also aims to contribute to the development of more inclusive and human-centered AI technologies.
なぜ博士課程へ進学しましたか？Why did you decide to pursue a doctoral program?
I decided to pursue a doctoral program mainly because, during my studies and research at the master’s level, I gradually discovered that I had a deep interest in exploring a particular problem.
During my master’s program, I mainly studied courses related to data science and artificial intelligence. This gave me an initial understanding of research on speech technology in the field of artificial intelligence and made me want to explore more deeply the role of speech technology in real life. As the impact of population aging worldwide continues to increase and the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease grows year by year, I became interested in the fact that the speech and language of older adults and people with cognitive decline have many characteristics that differ from those of the general population, while existing artificial intelligence systems still have many limitations in this regard. This led to my sustained research interest in using speech and language technologies to understand changes in human cognition.
The time and research scope of a master’s program are usually insufficient for conducting research on these kinds of problems. Studying the speech of older adults and people with cognitive decline, such as those with Alzheimer’s disease, requires not only knowledge of artificial intelligence and speech and language processing technologies, but also a deeper understanding of cognitive science and continuous research. Based on these experiences and considerations, I ultimately decided to continue pursuing a doctoral degree and to make aging, cognitive health, and artificial intelligence my long-term research interests. Through my doctoral research, I hope to further establish my own specialized research direction and ultimately enable the related research to create practical value for real-world issues concerning aging and cognitive health.
Graniteの支援で役立っている・助かっていることを教えてください。Please share what has been helpful or beneficial through the support provided by Granite.
Granite has provided me with valuable financial support. Stable financial assistance helps reduce the pressure of daily living expenses, allowing me to devote more time and energy to my research and to continue working on my research topics with greater focus. It also means that I do not need to take on additional part-time jobs that would otherwise take away time from my doctoral research. Receiving support from Granite is also a form of recognition and encouragement for me, and it has motivated me to seriously consider how my research can contribute academically and make a positive impact on society.
将来の目標、もしくはあなたが胸に秘めた野望があればぜひ教えてください。Please share your future goals or any ambitions you hold close to your heart.
My future goal is to become a researcher. I hope to continue conducting research that can help us better understand the speech and language characteristics of older adults and people experiencing cognitive decline. I hope that my research can have practical social value. I also hope to collaborate with researchers from different countries and different fields, broaden my international research experience, and contribute to addressing real-world challenges in an aging society through artificial intelligence.
博士課程進学を考えている人へのメッセージをください。Please share a message for those considering pursuing a doctoral program.
For those who are considering whether to pursue a doctoral program, I believe the most important thing is to maintain a curious mindset toward everything. If you discover something that interests you, you can try to explore the principles and mechanisms behind it.
Before deciding to pursue a doctoral degree, you can communicate with current doctoral students and participate in the university’s annual open campus events. During these events, you can visit different laboratories, learn about their general research topics in advance, and communicate with professors in the laboratories. This can help you develop a better plan for your own research direction before entering the doctoral program.
After reflecting on yourself and gaining a better understanding of the laboratory environment, if you still have a sustained interest in research and are willing to spend a long period of time exploring the questions you truly care about, pursuing a doctoral program can be a very valuable experience.
