Abstract

◎ How will humans live in the era of AI?
◎ With the power of art, your view of the world—and of life itself—becomes so much more fascinating!

Art thinking is not reserved solely for artists and designers.
Life and work are themselves forms of creation, which is precisely why art thinking is essential for everyone.
— Shu Yamaguchi

Why art, right now? What exactly is art thinking? Why is "art thinking" necessary even for our work?
This book is a major expansion and revision of How to Art Thinking, originally published in 2019. It offers a mindset for navigating the AI era with wit and enjoyment—unlocking the "distorted creativity" unique to human beings that lies beyond mere efficiency and correct answers!

[From the Introduction]
Super Art Thinking—the prefix "Super" in the title carries three distinct meanings.
First, to update art thinking in light of the rapidly evolving AI era. Second, to take a bird's-eye view beyond art thinking alone, examining its relationships with other ways of thinking and society at large, thereby expanding its reach. And finally, to contextualize "art" as a Western concept from Japanese and Eastern perspectives, moving beyond Western modes of thought to re-examine the true nature of human creativity.

(...)

AI can now gather information in an instant, handle not only analytical thinking but also execute tasks as an autonomous agent, and even "generate" creative work. AI is rapidly replacing tasks that were once performed by humans. Does this mean there will soon be no work left for humans?
Not at all. In fact, I believe that precisely because we are in the era of AI, essential human creativity becomes all the more critical.

In the 19th century, a debate strikingly similar to today's discussions around AI erupted in the West. The catalyst was the invention of photography. Upon seeing a photograph in 1839, Paul Delaroche exclaimed, "From today, painting is dead!" while Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres petitioned the French government to ban photography, claiming it "threatened the livelihood of painters."
However, as we all know, painting is not dead today, nor has the profession of the painter vanished.
Far from killing painting, photography freed art from the shackles of the "reproducibility" paradigm. It ignited a flourish of new possibilities in art—from Impressionism, Fauvism, and Expressionism to Cubism, Surrealism, and Abstraction—ultimately enriching the diversity of beauty.
In the AI era, many human activities and jobs will indeed be automated. It may even seem as though AI is replacing "thinking" and "creation"—capabilities once believed to belong exclusively to humans. Yet, I remain hopeful that, challenged and provoked by the technology of AI, humanity will only grow more creative.

Author’s Information

CEO of Metaverse Creators, CEO of uni’que, Art Thinking Curator, Visiting Professor at Fukuoka Women’s University, Visiting Associate Professor at Nagano University, and First-Class Authorized Architect.

He began his career as an architect and worked as an art researcher before transitioning to the IT industry, where he launched numerous new business ventures at NTT DOCOMO and DeNA. In 2017, he founded uni’que, a venture company where all employees hold side jobs, which was selected as one of Toyo Keizai’s "100 Amazing Ventures." Through "Your," an incubation business focusing on women-led ventures, he has created numerous businesses and won the Innovation Award twice at the Work Story Awards.

In 2023, he founded Metaverse Creators, a startup aimed at producing world-leading content from Japan. The company quickly gained widespread attention, placing 3rd at IVS LAUNCHPAD SEED 2024 and winning both the Grand Prize and the Dentsu Award at the Startup Entrepreneur Award (SEA) hosted by SBI Investment.

He has served as a new business advisor for numerous corporations, including Shiseido. Beyond business, he is frequently interviewed and invited to speak on topics including art, education, and diversity. He is the author of How to Art Thinking: Self-Driven Thinking to Break Through Stagnation and Becoming Increasingly Uncertain of the Right Answer! Art Thinking Drill. (As of April 2026)