Masayoshi Son of SoftBank claims that AGI will arrive "much sooner" than expected.

SoftBank has taken a significant step in its investment in artificial intelligence, being part of a group that allocates $500 billion to Project Stargate, which aims to develop AI infrastructure in the United States for OpenAI. Additionally, it has established a collaboration in Japan with OpenAI, intending to invest $3 billion to implement OpenAI technology in its own companies. The Japanese company aims to revolutionize the business landscape with a new AI system called "Cristal Intelligence."

SoftBank's CEO, Masayoshi Son, who previously made multimillion-dollar investments in WeWork, forecasted at an event in Tokyo that the arrival of artificial general intelligence (AGI) will occur "much sooner" than he had previously estimated, which was two to three years. This new forecast may be influenced by changes in the definition of AGI, according to recent explanations provided by his partner, Sam Altman.

In its statement, SoftBank emphasizes that AI agents will "automate everyday tasks" in the realm of knowledge work. While general examples were provided, it was mentioned that Cristal Intelligence will be employed in Arm and SoftBank Corp., which are owned by SoftBank. Arm, responsible for designing many chips and servers used by AI companies, plans to use this technology to "drive innovation and enhance productivity" across the company. Meanwhile, SoftBank Corp. aims to "automate over 100 million workflows" to "improve efficiency and create new business opportunities within its ecosystem."

The new joint venture between SoftBank and OpenAI, named "SB OpenAI Japan," will be equally owned by both companies at 50%. This collaboration will focus on exclusively marketing Cristal Intelligence to large enterprises in Japan.