Research Scientist, ELSI (Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues) - Mercari

Salary not provided

English & Japanese

English: FluentJapanese: Fluent

Work Responsibilities

Analyze the social impact of the following advanced technologies being researched and developed by R4D and other internal departments, and incorporate findings into research plans:
- AI
- Robotics
- RWA (Real World Asset)
- AR/VR
- Quantum computing
Construct risk assessment frameworks and conduct specific assessments with an eye toward implementing advanced technologies into Mercari's products and real-world society.
Collaborate with R4D and product teams to formulate and operate guidelines and provide advice for ethical considerations from the early stages of development.
Build and operate systems to continuously update existing guidelines in response to technological advancements and social changes.
Proactively collaborate with internal and external stakeholders and take ownership of project management.
Monitor domestic and international regulations and standards (such as the EU AI Act) and analyze/propose their impact on our business.
Summarize acquired knowledge to present at domestic and international conferences and submit papers to journals.

You can drive ELSI research while engaging in daily discussions with researchers and engineers across fields such as AI, HCI, and quantum computing. It is an environment where you can co-design how to implement advanced technologies into society from the initial stages of research and development.
Collaborate with researchers from universities, enabling us as a private company to carry out long-term research projects that are not bound by conventional frameworks.
As an independent research organization within the company, you can also gain technical input from products used by 20 million monthly active users, such as the marketplace app "Mercari" and the payment service "Merpay."

Master's degree or higher in humanities and social sciences fields such as ethics, philosophy, or sociology.
Track record of conducting interdisciplinary research beyond your own area of expertise.
Experience participating in and driving projects involving multiple experts and practitioners.
Ability to analyze and verbalize the social impact of technology from multiple perspectives.
Ability to translate knowledge from the humanities and social sciences into practical knowledge and systems that can be utilized within the organization.

Ph.D. holder or candidate in humanities and social sciences fields.
Research experience in ELSI related to advanced technologies such as AI and robotics.
Practical experience in technology assessment (evaluating the social impact of technology).
Experience working on ELSI-related projects at tech companies, think tanks, or public research institutions.
Project management experience in a team with diverse areas of expertise.

AIやHCI、量子コンピュータ等の各分野の研究者・エンジニアと日常的に議論を交わしながらELSI研究を推進できます。研究開発の初期段階から、いかに社会へ先端技術を実装するかを共に設計できる環境です
民間企業でありながら、他大学の研究者とも協働できるため、枠にとらわれない研究プロジェクトを長期的なスパンで行うことができます
社内で独立性のある研究組織であると同時に、フリマアプリ「メルカリ」や決済サービス「メルペイ」など、月間2,000万人ものお客さまが利用するプロダクトから、技術的なインプットを得ることができます