Japanese tech giant SoftBank is investing heavily in Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and claims it will arrive “much earlier” than predicted. The company, led by CEO Masayoshi Son, has partnered with OpenAI on a joint venture called SB OpenAI Japan to develop and deploy the technology across its companies.
According to Son, AI agents will automate everyday tasks for knowledge work, driving innovation and boosting productivity at Arm, a chip design firm that uses SoftBank’s servers. The company also plans to use AGI to “automate over 100 million workflows” and create new business opportunities within its ecosystem.
The joint venture with OpenAI aims to bring AI technology to major companies in Japan, exclusively through the “Cristal intelligence” system. SoftBank will spend $3 billion deploying the tech across its companies and has already announced plans for its use at Arm and SoftBank Corp.
SoftBank’s CEO Son believes AGI will arrive sooner than his previous predictions, with some attributing this shift to changes in the definition of AGI. The partnership between SoftBank and OpenAI marks a significant push into AI, with potential implications for business operations across various industries.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/605555/softbank-masayoshi-son-agi-cristal-intelligence-openai