Eiichiro Watamura Eiichiro Watamura

Professor, Graduate School of Human Sciences, The University of Osaka *Profile is at the time of the award.

2026IncubateHumanities & Sociology

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Research topics: Justice by Two Minds: Constructing a Human–AI Co-Judgment Model through the Reappraisal of Cognitive Bias

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Summary: About fifteen years ago, my son and I kept rhinoceros and stag beetles. One day I accidentally placed my finger between a beetle’s horns. Although the insect was only about ten centimeters long, its grip was astonishingly strong, and I remember struggling to free my hand._x000D_
Abilities acquired through evolution can sometimes exceed our expectations. Human cognition, too, has been shaped by evolution. In psychology, systematic deviations from rational judgment are known as cognitive biases, long regarded mainly as errors or limitations._x000D_
Today, however, artificial intelligence is rapidly advancing and may be capable of making decisions that are more rational and consistent than those made by humans. If so, are cognitive biases merely flaws in human judgment?This study examines that question in the context of judicial decision-making. By comparing AI’s rational decision-making with human cognitive biases, it explores what role human judgment should play in the justice system. Just as evolution sometimes produces unexpected strengths, human cognition may serve functions that cannot be understood by rationality alone.

Message

I have long studied human judgment at the intersection of law and psychology. In this project, We will directly compare the rationality of AI with human cognitive biases in order to reexamine the value of human judgment in the judicial process. With the support of this grant as a major driving force, We hope to present a new vision for the justice system in the age of AI.