SoftBank chief executive officer, Masayoshi Son, said he believes in artificial general intelligence (AGI). The CEO also said that AGI will surpass human intelligence in every way in the next ten years.
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At the SoftBank World corporate conference, Mr Son outlined plans to help create AI vastly smarter than any human, making his most ambitious statements. The CEO added that artificial superintelligence (ASI) would outstrip human potential by ten thousand times, according to Reuters.
“AI has already exceeded human intelligence”
Son has been quite vocal about AI and has spoken about artificial general intelligence (AGI) in the past, often using the term “singularity.” He has previously insisted that technology will transform businesses and society, but this is the first time Son has given a timeline for the technology’s progress. He said:
“It is wrong to say that AI cannot be smarter than humans as it is created by humans,”
He also added, “AI is now self-learning, self-training, and self-inferencing, just like human beings.” Son noted that AI has already exceeded human intellect in certain areas.
Son also pitched the idea of artificial superintelligence at the event, which, according to him, would be achieved in the next 20 years. This specific level or genre of tech will be 10,000 times more capable than human intelligence, he said.
Son highlighted that the group is now focusing on pairing robotics and artificial intelligence for mass production and logistics. SoftBank also invested $1 billion in a British Autonomous driving startup called Wyve earlier in May.
SoftBank’s says Japanese companies should wake up to the promise of AI
Son’s decision to invest in tech has helped SoftBank become a tech investment giant. SoftBank has invested in several AI startups which proved worthwhile, while some of its investments have been a dud, and failed according to a report by CNN.
SoftBank’s subsidiary Arm is a chip designer headquartered in the United Kingdom. The bank made a good profit during the first quarter from its share in Arm, and according to Son, Arm will be the centerpiece of its AI strategy.
Also read: SoftBank will use AI to soften the tones of angry customers on calls
Son has been making some big claims about emerging technologies. Reuters said that his claims about the mobile internet have proved true, but his predictions about the Internet of Things (IOT) have yet to be proven.
Referring to Japanese companies, Son said that they have lagged in the digital age and reaffirmed his confidence in chip maker Arm. He asked Japanese companies to wake up to the promise of technology.
Arm CEO, Rene Haas, also joined the conference via video and promoted the company’s energy-efficient technology. Haas claimed that Arm’s chips will become highly sought after for powering AI technology. Haas said AGI will become a reality in his lifetime, while Son said he thinks he is the only one who believes artificial general intelligence will be here within a decade.
Cryptopolitan reporting by Aamir Sheikh
