Baku Kamihara

Whose Aesthetic Values? Cultural Bias and Representation in Generative AI Proposal Components

This project aims to analyze how traditional Japanese aesthetic sensibilities are reproduced and
transformed by generative AI (such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini) trained on Western-centric
data. Through such comparisons, we seek to clarify the limitations and possibilities of AI as a
vehicle for cultural representation.

The social significance of this research lies in providing a new perspective on questions such as
“Who defines AI's aesthetic sensibilities?” and “Which cultural values should AI, which is used
globally, reflect?” In today's world, where AI is utilized across a wide range of fields including
education, art, and policymaking, the risk of non-Western cultural values being overlooked due
to ‘misinterpretation’ or “omission” is increasing.

This project uses Japanese culture as a concrete example to reexamine the importance of ethics
and diversity at the intersection of technology and culture. The methodology consists of two
parts: first, a comparison of expressions by humans and AI, and second, a comparison of
prompts between cultures. In the former, we will compare Japanese classical literature (such as
Matsuo Basho's haiku and Junichiro Tanizaki's essays) with AI-generated output. In the latter, we
will give AI the same prompt in Japanese and English to verify the differences in output based
on language and culture. This will clarify the cultural premises under which AI processes and
outputs information, providing a critical perspective on AI's cultural biases.

The outcome will be a paper that integrates the perspectives of cultural anthropology and
aesthetics and will include examples of AI-generated content (poems, short texts, charts, etc.)
used in the analysis. This goes beyond mere comparison, highlighting the existence of non-
Western aesthetic sensibilities and raising the question of how to respect and integrate diverse
cultural values in the development and use of AI.

Baku was raised in Japanese culture, and he is currently studying cultural anthropology in the United
States. From this perspective, Baku believes he can play a role in relativizing the relationship between
AI and cultural representation and bridging cultural understanding between Japan and the
United States. Additionally, such analytical and critical perspectives will be crucial skills for
future work in international NGOs or cultural exchange organizations.