“SoftBank Group has done many things until now that have all been a warm up for my great dream to realise artificial super intelligence,” Son told shareholders at the group’s annual general meeting.
Son often hails the transformative power of new technologies and has made his name and fortune by betting on the proliferation of the internet and smartphones.
At Friday’s meeting, he said the group was now putting all its efforts into pairing robotics with artificial intelligence to be used in all kinds of mass production and logistics, as well as autonomous driving.
Son’s vision for AI robots would require “immense capital” and pooling funds with partners, he said, as SoftBank would not be able to bankroll it alone.
Son’s reputation as a visionary investor was dented after many of the tech startups held by the Vision Fund investment vehicles have gone sour since 2021. Some of his other predictions, such as the widespread adoption of “internet of things” technology have not materialised.
Discover the stories of your interest
But the success of SoftBank subsidiary Arm, the British chip designer, since its public listing in September last year has burnished Son’s reputation, as investors have piled into firms linked to AI.
Content Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com