Tokyo Tech Talks #1: Meet the Speakers
Our inaugural event features Mitchell Carroll on AI in underserved communities and Keenan Thompson on setting boundaries for AI-assisted coding.
We’re excited to announce the speakers for Tokyo Tech Talks #1. Our inaugural event brings together two practitioners with distinct perspectives on how AI intersects with real-world challenges.
The Speakers
Mitchell Carroll
Senior Product Manager, Mercari
AI in underserved communities — the spaces big tech overlooks.
While the tech industry obsesses over the latest foundation models and enterprise applications, entire communities are being left behind. Mitchell will explore the gaps in AI’s current trajectory—the use cases that don’t make it into pitch decks, the populations that aren’t represented in training data, and the opportunities that exist precisely because they’ve been ignored.
What happens when we build AI for the margins instead of the mainstream?
Keenan Thompson
CEO, Arcnem AI
Boundaries for AI-assisted coding — why a familiar stack helps you know when to let the model run wild and when to rein it in.
AI coding assistants are remarkably capable—until they’re not. The difference between productive AI collaboration and frustrating debugging sessions often comes down to knowing your tools. Keenan will discuss why working within a familiar stack gives you the intuition to recognize when AI is helping versus hallucinating, and how to set effective boundaries that maximize output without sacrificing code quality.
When should you trust the model, and when should you trust yourself?
Event Details
- Date: Sunday, February 22, 2026
- Time: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM JST
- Location: Gallery, Environmental Studies Building, University of Tokyo Kashiwa Campus
- View on Google Maps
Schedule
- 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Talks
- 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Mini Hackathon (winner gets 1 month of Claude Max!)
- 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM: Drinks & Networking
Register Now
If you’re interested in attending, register here.