In a speech full of optimism about the future of artificial intelligence, Masatoshi Son, the CEO of SoftBank Group, asserted that artificial general intelligence, where computers achieve human-level thinking, could become a reality in just two to three years. He also believes that “super-intelligence,” which is 10,000 times more intelligent than the human mind, could be achieved within…

TOKYO—SoftBank Group CEO Masatoshi Son reiterated his optimistic outlook on artificial intelligence during a speech on Thursday, highlighting the progress made by OpenAI.

OpenAI has raised $6.6 billion in a recent round of new funding, including a $500 million investment from SoftBank, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Son said he believes that general artificial intelligence, in which a computer has human-level cognitive abilities, will be achieved in two to three years. He also reiterated his prediction that “super-intelligence,” in which computers have 10,000 times the intelligence of humans, will be achieved within a decade.

“The gold rush for intelligence has begun, and the winner is the one who gets ahead of the rest,” Son said at the SoftBank World 2024 conference, which was organized by his company.

Son praised OpenAI’s new models, called o1, a set of models designed to spend more time thinking before responding, noting that these models “have improved the ability to think.”

Son said he woke up early Monday morning and asked the AI ​​program how to convert 10 million yen into 100 million yen. He said the program took 75 seconds to answer, but he did not reveal the details of the response he got.

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