Monex Group to support new AI engineers

The University of Tokyo’s corporate-sponsored research program “Information Economics for AI Solutions” is an open lecture offered in cooperation with Monex Group, Japan’s leading online brokerage, from September 2019. The University of Tokyo hosts a competitive AI programming contest aimed at developing ICT engineers.

Monex was established in 1999 as a venture company to create ‘the future of finance.’ Monex Group, Inc. has grown to become a major online financial institution that operates retail online brokerages in Japan, the U.S., China, and Australia.

Monex Group is bridging the gap between traditional finance and cryptocurrency and believes in a future where finance is seamless and borderless. As part of this mission, Monex offers crypto asset banking operations and online brokerage services that link the world’s financial markets. Monex Group converted Japan’s leading cryptocurrency exchange, Coincheck, Inc. into a wholly-owned subsidiary last year. The company is also contemplating expanding its cryptocurrency business to the United States.

As part of the “Information Economics for AI Solutions”, the University of Tokyo is holding a competitive AI programming contest titled “The Aspirations of the Byzantine Empire.” Players in this AI programming contest compete using a game called “Pommerman,” which was inspired by “Bomberman.”

The program’s website says that AI solutions are generated by integrating AI technologies, which include machine learning and deep learning, with ICTs, which include cloud services, blockchain, IoT, and mobile technologies. The website says there is a shortage of engineers who engage in the development and application of AI and blockchain. The program aims to develop those engineers by holding events such as this one.