Abstract

This study explored the assumptions of education and students reflected in the university statement by the University of Tokyo in response to the rapid development of generative AI in 2022. A total of three texts were analyzed including a general statement, a message to faculty, and a message to students, all of which were issued in April or May of 2023. Two methods of analysis, rhetorical criticism and critical discourse analysis, were adopted to analyze these texts. The analysis reveals that the statement suggests the University of Tokyo, as a leading institution in Japan, takes on responsibility for the impact of generative AI on society with an emphasis on the importance of education, ethics, and respect. Rather than blindly relying on generative AI or refusing it, it called for education that fosters critical and independent thinking and students who acquire these skills, while maintaining an open dialogue attitude.