SoftBank's Masayoshi Son: AI Will Be 1,000 Times Smarter Than Humans Within a Decade

SoftBank Group founder and CEO Masayoshi Son said in a recent internal podcast at Blackstone that artificial intelligence could become 1,000 times smarter than humans within the next decade, adding that everything he has done so far was just a "warm-up."

Son recalled being deeply moved by a microprocessor photo at age 17, predicting then that the technology would eventually surpass the human brain. He believes AI will not only operate in the virtual world but also enter robot brains, "beginning to happen in the physical world."

Addressing concerns over AI safety, Son said he does not favor slowing down AI development, arguing that technological progress itself is the solution to safety issues. Just as automobile societies rely on rules and etiquette to prevent collisions, AI needs technical measures to defend against cyberattacks and keep AI agents from misbehaving.

On SoftBank's AI strategy, Son said he would not pick a single sector but is building a complete ecosystem spanning large language models, chips, and data centers. He revealed that SoftBank has begun mass-producing robots at a physical AI factory, with robots manufacturing robots, and holds more than 30 robotics companies in its portfolio.

He also advised young people to combine superintelligence with their chosen fields and shared that he uses AI for about three hours on weekdays and up to seven hours on weekends, treating it as a "thinking partner."