Company Introduction

Otsuka Fund is a community-based company based in the Banshu region that operates real estate and IT consulting businesses. It was originally established as an offshoot of the real estate division of a local supermarket company, and has supported the utilization of local assets.

Since the current CEO took office in 2019, the company has established an IT division with the mission of spreading IT locally, based on the philosophy of "achieving local well-being through the power of digital technology." Currently, the company is focusing on providing digital transformation support for its customers, utilizing the Microsoft 365 environment internally and various services from Google, as well as support for the introduction and use of generative AI tools, thereby contributing to resolving the issues facing local businesses.

Issues before introducing generative AI

Otsuka Fund, an IT consulting company, had been exploring the use of AI from an early stage, but felt there were limitations to using it through self-study without specialized knowledge.

In particular, creating meeting minutes was a major burden, as it could take up to four hours for new employees who were unfamiliar with the task to summarize and organize tasks. Furthermore, the creation of proposal materials began with a blank PowerPoint presentation, which consumed a great deal of time for organization and analysis. Furthermore, confirmation of internal rules relied on individual inquiries, and the man-hours required to respond to these inquiries hindered productivity throughout the organization.

It was urgent for us as IT professionals to break away from this "state of blindness" and achieve overwhelming efficiency.

Effects after generative AI introduction training

Through the training, participants acquired the skill of "picking and choosing" multiple AI tools to use them in the right places.

By "automatically extracting summaries and to-do lists" in the creation of meeting minutes, the process was shortened from four hours to as little as 30 minutes. Proposal creation was also changed to a flow in which AI creates a rough draft, shortening the creation time from three hours to one hour and also reducing the number of rejections due to improved accuracy of the structure.

In addition, they have established a system of combined use, with an understanding of the characteristics of each tool, such as data analysis using Copilot and the combined use of ChatGPT and GenSpark. They have also left the creation of Excel formulas to AI, with humans only specializing in final confirmation. This shift in mindset to "being the master of AI" has improved the self-sustaining capabilities of the entire organization.

Future outlook

Building on the foundations gained through the training, the company plans to continue to keep up with the rapidly evolving AI technology and further improve the accuracy of its internal use. The company also plans to provide the real knowledge it has accumulated to local client companies who are also struggling with the question of "what can AI be used for?"

As IT consultants, we take the stance that AI is merely one solution, and provide specific implementation procedures, including the use of reskilling subsidies, to clients who find it difficult to see the return on investment of implementation.By teaching them how to select and use the appropriate tools, we aim to contribute to improving the productivity and promoting digital transformation at local companies, and fulfill our role as an IT partner that grows together with them.