This lecture series started in 2023 and marks its third year this year. To date, a total of 32 sessions have been delivered to 136 students in total. In fiscal year 2025, with AI as the main theme, the program covers everything from acquiring fundamental knowledge to introducing practical use cases in business, as well as hands-on training and project-based development aimed at building practical skills. Active engineers working in the field will lead the lectures, providing instruction based on real-world experience. In addition, by taking and completing this course, students can earn academic credits for both the summer and winter terms.
【Purpose of the Lecture】
In today’s society, where digitalization and advanced automation are rapidly progressing, the use of AI has become an essential element in system development and operations. This lecture begins with a fundamental understanding of AI and, through learning practical use cases in real IT engineering work from multiple perspectives, aims to cultivate practical skills that can be applied in the field.
In the summer term, the course is designed to be accessible even for beginners, focusing on hands-on experience in no-code AI application development. In the winter term, students will work on more advanced content through project-based development of AI applications. In addition, the course will cover the latest methodologies such as development and operations practices that incorporate security considerations (DevSecOps) and system management approaches that emphasize reliability (SRE), aiming to equip students with skills that are applicable in real-world environments.
【Background of the Lecture Implementation】
Kyushu University has set forth “Kyushu University VISION 2030,” aiming to become “a university that drives social transformation through comprehensive knowledge.” As part of its educational initiatives to foster students with a strong spirit of inquiry who will open up the future—supported by free and open research through diverse approaches and the cutting-edge research generated from it—the university offers lectures conducted by companies.
Meanwhile, GMO Internet Group operates as a comprehensive Internet group with 114 group companies (as of the end of December 2024), centered on its Internet Infrastructure business, which provides essential services such as domains, security, and payments. In addition, the group develops Internet Security, Online Advertising and Media, Internet Finance, and Cryptoassets businesses. Under the vision of becoming the “No.1 corporate group creating the future with AI,” the entire group is promoting initiatives to utilize generative AI and improve operational efficiency.
At GMO Internet, Inc., in response to the expansion of services and growth in users, we established a collaborative base for engineers and customer support in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, in 2018, supporting service development as well as system operation and monitoring. We have once again been given this opportunity by Kyushu University, and have decided to conduct this lecture to pass on the know-how and cutting-edge technologies in the Internet and AI fields that we have cultivated, to the next generation of students.
▲Actual Lecture Scenes
【Lecture Overview】
■Instructor: Engineers from GMO Internet, Inc.
■Number of Classes: Once a week for both the summer and winter terms / 8 sessions each (16 sessions in total)
■Class Period:
Summer Term: Wednesday, June 11, 2025 – Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Winter Term: Wednesday, December 10, 2025 – Wednesday, February 4, 2026
■Course Titles and Content:
・Summer Term / Introduction to Web Application Development
Covers AI fundamentals, LLM fundamentals, the role of IT engineers and their relationship with AI, and hands-on experience in web application development.
Course Overview
・Winter Term / Practical Web Application Development
Covers AI/LLM fundamentals, the role of IT engineers and their relationship with AI, and development environment setup, followed by hands-on development and project-based learning to acquire practical skills.
Course Overview
【Comment】
Koji Okamura, Professor (Advanced Cyber Network Research Division, Research Institute for Information Technology)
In university education, when learning new concepts, the mainstream approach is a bottom-up method, where students first thoroughly study fundamental knowledge. As a result, applications are often only taught theoretically, making it difficult to fully պատկերize them at the time of learning. However, after graduation, when encountering something learned in school in a professional setting, students often recall it and realize its relevance. If they had studied diligently as students, that knowledge can be quite useful.
In contrast, this lecture is delivered in a top-down manner by instructors who are actively engaged in practical work, enabling students to clearly understand both new concepts and their applications. I believe this is one of the benefits of the practical education programs through industry-academia collaboration that Kyushu University has been actively promoting in recent years.
Furthermore, receiving direct instruction from engineers working in the field is highly stimulating for students and is expected to significantly contribute to their future career development.
I sincerely hope that this lecture will contribute to the development of new talent capable of leading society in collaboration with industry.
【About GMO Internet, Inc.】
GMO Internet, Inc. launched a new organizational structure on January 1, 2025, to integrate the strengths of GMO Internet Group’s Internet Infrastructure and Online Advertising and Media businesses.
Leveraging the strong revenue base of the Internet Infrastructure business and the respective strengths of the Online Advertising and Media business, we will, under the corporate slogan “Internet for Everyone,” deliver “smiles” and “inspiration” to all stakeholders and take on the challenge of creating new value to shape the future with AI.
