Why we bring people together in the age of AI
Tomohiro Iida · Published September 19, 2026
We build with AI and work remotely. Digital tools support our everyday work at Netsujo. At the same time, we operate Miyako de IT, an IT community in Kyoto, and create opportunities to meet in person.
As more work can happen without meeting, what should we do with the time we deliberately spend together? We want to make room for hands-on work, learning how others think, and conversations that were not on the agenda.
Leave a little room off-script.
When the goal is clear, search, AI, and remote tools help us move quickly. When people gather, we also leave some room that is not fully predetermined: hear from the person next to you, encounter a topic you would not have chosen yourself, or let a conversation continue after the scheduled session.
We do not know in advance what such a moment will produce, and we do not treat it as a guaranteed outcome. We simply choose not to design every minute around a predefined result.
A conversation can change the question.
Search and AI are useful when we know what to ask. But getting stuck at work does not always come with a well-defined question. A problem that seems technical might turn out to be about whom we are trying to help and what we want to deliver. A conversation can help us work through that distinction.
Describe your situation. Reconsider an assumption when someone asks a question. Find something to try in a story from a different field. We want our events to leave room for this kind of exchange.
Creating places to meet in Kyoto.
Miyako de IT began in February 2019. Netsujo Inc., founded in June 2023, is its current operator. The community has held coworking sessions, study sessions, and meetups in local venues including temples and townhouses.
A venue and a programme both shape how a day is spent. How should breaks and conversation fit around the learning? Can a first-time visitor understand what the event is for? We want to plan the programme and the route into participation together.
Miyako de IT history and venues（日本語）
Give people a reason to make the trip.
On June 29, 2026, the second session of our introductory quantum-computing course combined the lecture with tea and beginner-friendly yoga. The event report records the programme and the thinking behind it.
The June 29 quantum-computing event report（日本語）
Once the learning topic is chosen, we think about the time around it too. We offer a way to spend the day that differs from watching a video alone. This is one example of planning both the content and the experience of being there.
Meeting in person takes travel time and money. We therefore ask whom the event is for, what people can try together, and what questions they might take home. We leave time for questions and discussion rather than filling every minute with presentations. A reason to attend includes how that time is used.
Keep a place for online participation.
Not everyone can meet in the same place. Location, work, and family commitments affect the time people have. Access from a distance and the freedom to take part at your own pace are significant strengths of online communities.
Netsujo’s AI practice community shares articles and practical lessons through a LINE OpenChat. Reading-only participation is welcome. A topic found online can become an in-person conversation; something encountered at an event can be revisited in an article. We want people to be able to move between those places.
The online AI practice community
Meeting someone does not, by itself, establish trust. Listening, respecting differences, and keeping commitments matter. Our intention is to keep building those relationships, both in person and online.
We build technology. We also build places to meet.
Both our AI and Web3 work and our community work involve people who use technology. We want to stay in contact with what they think about, what they find difficult, and what they want to try. That is why Netsujo creates places where people can gather.
Digital convenience gives us more choice about how to spend time together. We choose to keep creating opportunities to learn, talk, and consider a next step with other people.
Upcoming events（日本語）