Masayoshi Son, the CEO of Softbank, sees a high potential for development and application in artificial intelligence (AI). He is convinced that artificial intelligence will one day surpass human intelligence and is particularly enthusiastic about the idea of general artificial intelligence (AGI). AGI describes a form of artificial intelligence that is supposed to be even more intelligent than humans.
At the Softbank World technology fair, Masayoshi Son presented his vision of future AI development. According to his timeline, an AGI could exist in about ten years. This artificial intelligence could be able to surpass human intelligence many times over, ten times over to be exact. Son emphasizes that AI, especially generative AI, has already surpassed human intelligence in specific areas.
Son clarifies that the belief that AI cannot be more intelligent than humans simply because it was created by humans is wrong. In his opinion, AI today already learns, trains and reasons just like humans.
His vision of the future goes even further. In about 20 years, an artificial super intelligence (“Artificial Super Intelligence”) could be realized that could even exceed human intelligence by a factor of 10,000. Son believes he is the only one who thinks such an early realization of AGI is realistic.
Despite Son’s optimistic predictions, it should be noted that not all of his predictions have come true in the past. While he was correct about the potential of the mobile Internet, his predictions about the Internet of Things have not yet come to pass.
Son sees artificial intelligence as a disruptive force that has the potential to fundamentally change business, technology and society. He urges Japanese companies to recognize and exploit the potential of AI.
Softbank plans to continue investing in AI startups and believes it is well equipped for the future development of AI, particularly with chip designer Arm. Arm, which Son calls the core of the AI revolution, raised about $5 billion in its successful IPO in September 2023. Softbank continues to own 90 percent of Arm after the IPO.
