SoftBank CEO outlines four pillars to drive AI expansion

Tokyo (ANTARA) - Chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group, Masayoshi Son, stated on Wednesday (24/6) that the company will focus more heavily on four key areas: artificial intelligence (AI) models, chips, infrastructure, and robotics, as part of its efforts to increase expansion in the AI sector.

Speaking at the annual general meeting of the Japanese investment and technology conglomerate in Tokyo, Son outlined the group’s AI strategy and hinted at his intention to continue leading the company for the next 10 to 15 years to realise his ambitions in the field of AI.

Within these four areas, SoftBank has invested in US-based OpenAI, advanced plans for data centre construction, and acquired shares in companies specialising in chip design and robotics.

The 68-year-old CEO also dismissed concerns that the AI sector has entered bubble territory.

“People may wonder whether AI is just a bubble, much like they doubted the internet,” Son said during the meeting.

“However, if we look back over the last 30 years, leading internet companies have actually grown rapidly. Compared to that, the AI revolution has only just begun,” he added.

He noted that AI has now entered its second phase, moving beyond simple text or image-generating chatbots towards ‘agentic AI’—systems capable of reasoning and acting autonomously.