Beginning in March 2026, Jarman International has held monthly internal seminars on AI best practices with JI Core 50 member Charles McJilton, a negotiator with a long career in disaster assistance and other humanitarian work in Japan.
Charles serves as a Research Collaborator for the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and conducts research on AI and capacity building for government agencies. He also offers courses in the Asia-Pacific region on the use of AI for disaster response, negotiations, and strategic leadership. In addition, Charles founded Japan’s first food bank, Second Harvest, which JI donates to via our JI Golf Cups at EastWood Country Club.
JI deeply appreciates Charles sharing his time to discuss AI best practices with our team. To date, seminar topics have included how to use AI effectively and efficiently in JI’s key tasks, including translation, editing, project proposals, and preparing for client meetings.
We believe that ensuring our team is well-versed in AI — utilizing its strengths while remaining cognizant of its limitations — is essential for providing the highest-quality work for our clients.
“AI is not a magic bullet,” Charles commented on a Real Gaijin AMA Podcast appearance in 2025. “But it certainly can be a multiplier for resource-strapped organizations and people who are thinking about doing things differently.”
“I would encourage people to explore using AI so that you understand what it can’t do,” he added, citing authentic relationship building as something AI cannot and should not replace. Conversely, tasks such as compiling vast amounts of information and helping users gain awareness of their own biases are among its strengths.
“The JI team boasts several incredible writers and creators who feel conflicted about adopting AI into our work strategy. Learning from Charles about the nuts and bolts of AI, i.e., that it is token-based, etc., reminded us that AI is not a person trying to take over our work but a valuable tool for making our work better. Charles has a pragmatic and very practical, not overly positive, approach to AI use and I thought this was extremely helpful for us as we try to implement new tools without having anything come even close to smothering our creative spirit and unique, human-led JI business,” says JI CEO Ruth Marie Jarman.