In this captivating series, we had the privilege of interviewing the eminent Dr. Yoichi Hayashi, Section Editor-in-Chief of the “Artificial Intelligence” Section of the prestigious Electronics journal (ISSN: 2079-9292). Renowned for his groundbreaking contributions in artificial intelligence, deep neural networks, fuzzy logic, rule extraction, ensemble systems, computational intelligence, data science, and medical informatics, Dr. Hayashi shares his invaluable insights and takes us on an exclusive journey into the inner workings of the journal. Through these interviews, we aim to offer a unique perspective on the publishing process, straight from the Section Editors-in-Chief.

The following is a short Q&A with Dr. Yoichi Hayashi, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views of the research area and open access publishing:

1. Can you share with us some information about your academic background?
I received my Dr. Eng. degree in systems engineering from the Tokyo University of Science in 1984. Following that, in 1986, I joined the Computer Science Department of Ibaraki University in Japan as an Assistant Professor. Since 1996, I have been a Full Professor at the Computer Science Department of Meiji University in Tokyo. Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of serving as a Visiting Professor at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, USA, and the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. I have authored over 230 published computer science papers.

2. What are your current research interests?
My research interests primarily revolve around deep learning, particularly focusing on the black-box nature of deep neural networks and shallow neural networks. I am dedicated to exploring the transparency, interpretability, and explainability of deep neural networks, as well as developing methodologies for rule extraction. Additionally, I am involved in the development of high-performance classifiers, advanced data mining techniques, big data analytics, and their applications in the field of medical informatics.

3. What advice would you offer to a beginning editor of a journal?
I believe a beginning editor should pay attention to the referee’s reports. Also, I think it's important to provide timely and constructive feedback and try not to rush the reviewer’s process.

4. What is the main challenge for ensuring the integrity and quality of academic publications?
I think a key factor is providing comprehensive and prompt feedback to authors. Professors and scholars greatly value feedback on their research and ensuring that this feedback is thorough and timely can make a significant difference. By offering valuable input to authors, the journal establishes a reputation as a platform that values and supports scholarly research. This, in turn, encourages more submissions and contributes to the growth and recognition of the journal.

5. Which research topics do you think will be of particular interest to the research community in the coming years?
In recent years, several emerging areas have gained significant prominence and offer exciting avenues for exploration. One such area is Core AI, which encompasses the fundamental principles and concepts underlying artificial intelligence. Understanding and advancing the core aspects of AI can lead to breakthroughs in various applications and domains. Machine learning algorithms and deep learning techniques are also areas deserving of attention. These approaches have revolutionized the field by enabling systems to learn from data and make intelligent decisions. Further advancements in these techniques hold tremendous potential for enhancing the capabilities of AI systems.

The field of AI offers a plethora of fascinating topics and directions to explore. Core AI, machine learning algorithms, deep learning, NLP, computer vision, robotics, deep neural networks, cognitive computing, knowledge representation, reasoning, and reinforcement learning are all areas that deserve increased attention as they hold immense potential for shaping the future of AI and driving innovation across various domains.

We wish Dr. Yoichi Hayashi every success in his current position as Section Editor-in-Chief, and we look forward to his contributions to the journal.