(※1) At GMO Internet Group, Inc., we refer to “human resources” as “human capital.”
(※2) The information contained in this release is based on plans as of the time of announcement and may be subject to change without prior notice.
[Purpose of the Lecture]
In today’s society, where digitalization and advanced automation driven by AI are rapidly progressing, the use of AI in business has become an essential element across a wide range of areas—not only in system development and operations, but also in improving operational efficiency and in creative fields. On the other hand, with the rapid spread of AI, there are also growing concerns about the future of creative professions, including designers.
Against this backdrop, GMO Internet provides students at vocational schools studying digital creative fields with opportunities to learn about AI image generation, including real-world business use cases, and delivers education aligned with industry needs. Through this initiative, we aim to support the development of human capital that can leverage AI not as a threat, but as a “new tool that expands creativity.”
[Lecture Overview]
■Lecturers: Seina Mizumoto (GMO Internet, Inc., in charge of "ConoHa AI Canvas"), and others
*Lecturers are subject to change or addition.
■Number of Classes: One session at each school
■Class Schedule:
・Fukuoka Design & Technology College 7/ 3 (Thu) 13:20–15:00
・HAL Tokyo 7/ 7 (Mon) 14:30–16:00
・WiZ International Information Technology & Automobile College 7/15 (Tue) 10:00–11:30
■Class Overview:
・Utilization of generative AI in business settings
・The market for AI image generation and "Stable Diffusion"
・Demonstrations/hands-on sessions using ConoHa AI Canvas and tips for using Stable Diffusion
[Comment]
■Shuichiro Ogami
(Head of Super Creator Department, Fukuoka Design & Technology College, Jikei Gakuen Educational Institution)
Our school is a vocational institution that focuses on industry-academia collaborative education, aiming to develop professionals who can demonstrate creativity. Since launching majors for developing talent in AI, cybersecurity, and IT fields, we have finally reached a stage where we can send graduates into the industry as specialized professionals. However, there are still many challenges in enabling students to acquire knowledge and skills in the rapidly evolving AI field.
Beyond simply acquiring knowledge and technical skills, it is important to create more opportunities for students to develop a mindset that helps them realize how what they are learning connects to real-world industry practice.
This opportunity to learn directly from professionals active in the field and experience how the latest AI tools are actually used is expected to positively contribute to students’ goal setting and career development as future professionals.
■Satoshi Murakami
(Instructor in the CG Field, HAL Tokyo, Japan Educational Foundation)
Generative AI is no longer limited to the creative industry but has become a transformative force across all areas of business. Through this lecture, it is extremely important for students to practically learn how AI works and how to use it, and to develop the ability to turn their ideas into reality in order to succeed in the future society.
At HAL Tokyo, we emphasize practical education in collaboration with industry, and this lecture strongly aligns with that philosophy. We hope that students will acquire AI not as a “technology to be used,” but as a “technology to master,” and grow into human capital that will lead future innovation.
In particular, we position AI image generation not merely as a tool, but as a partner that expands creativity. In our classes, we incorporate project-based learning using ConoHa AI Canvas, such as creating visual proposals and prototypes for real business challenges. Through this, students deepen their understanding of both the potential and limitations of AI while comprehensively enhancing their planning, expressive, and technical skills.
We sincerely hope that this lecture will serve as an opportunity for students to deepen their relationship with AI and further expand their creativity.
■Kimiko Anzai
(Information Field, WiZ International Information Technology & Automobile College, FSG College League)
Our school has already been actively incorporating AI into education, and we are very pleased to have the opportunity to learn such cutting-edge technology. In the upcoming lectures, we expect that students will gain a deeper understanding of AI mechanisms and applications, and acquire practical skills by learning directly from instructors who are active in the field.
Additionally, "ConoHa AI Canvas" is a very user-friendly and approachable tool for students, as it can be easily used through a browser. By combining practical learning with an easy-to-use service, we believe this will be a valuable opportunity to further expand each student’s creativity.
[Overview of "ConoHa AI Canvas"]
(URL: https://www.conoha.jp/ai/canvas/ )
"ConoHa AI Canvas" is an AI image generation service that allows users to easily utilize Stability AI’s image generation AI "Stable Diffusion XL" directly in a web browser. While using "Stable Diffusion XL" typically requires specialized knowledge and a high-performance PC environment, this service enables anyone to generate high-quality images with simple operations from a browser on their own PC.
■Key Features
① Easy to use directly in a web browser
・Anyone can easily generate high-quality images through simple operations from a browser on their own PC.
・Supports Japanese language display.
・Generated images can be saved and managed in the cloud-based file storage "File Manager."
This allows users to generate and store a large number of images securely without consuming local PC storage.
Usage: [Getting Started with AI Canvas] Learn how to generate images with a video guide! https://youtu.be/zgFNamhX_w8?si=MHQIviNnNaHsQxEz
[Official ConoHa] https://youtube.com/@conohajp?si=s4rQi5lfqJeOCmsy
② Achieves high-quality image generation with "Stable Diffusion XL"
・Adopts "Stable Diffusion XL," developed by Stability AI, capable of generating highly detailed images.
・Selected for the Good Design Best 100 in 2023 and highly recognized as an image generation AI model.
Reference: https://ja.stability.ai/blog/gooddesign100
③ Enjoy unlimited image generation without restrictions
・No limitations on the number of images generated or styles, allowing full customization.
・Unlimited generation with no restrictions on the number of times it can be used.
[About "ConoHa byGMO"]
(URL: https://www.conoha.jp/ )
"ConoHa byGMO" is a hosting service provided by GMO Internet Group, Inc., which boasts the No.1 hosting share in Japan (※3). It offers a range of services tailored to various needs, including the fastest rental server in Japan (※4), "ConoHa WING," ideal for creating blogs and websites; "ConoHa VPS," which allows for more flexible server customization and configuration; "ConoHa for Windows Server" for users who require a Windows OS; "ConoHa for GAME," designed for gamers with free game templates; and "ConoHa AI Canvas," which enables full-scale AI image generation directly from a browser. Customers can choose the most suitable service according to their needs. The service is designed with a strong focus on "simplicity" and "ease of use," with no initial cost, and is widely used by a broad range of customers, from first-time server users to sole proprietors and corporations.
(※3) Industry share is calculated based on data from ipinfo.io. ipinfo.io is a website operated by IDB LLC that provides geographic and other information associated with IP addresses.
(※4) As of February 2025, based on in-house research. Among the top 10 services accounting for over 90% of the domestic market share, the average of five measurements of server processing speed for each service’s lowest-tier plan was compared using load testing tools "Apache Bench" and "h2load." Domestic market share was calculated based on data from Webhosting.info and DomainTools.
