Highlights:
- SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son predicts AI could run households within two to three years, managing tasks like grocery shopping, tutoring, and health monitoring.
- Son praised OpenAI's latest ChatGPT model for its human-like reasoning capabilities and foresees AI personal agents designed to maximize user happiness.
- SoftBank has invested in AI development, planning to spend $100 billion on AI chips, with technology support from its subsidiary, Arm Holdings
Artificial intelligence (AI) could soon take control of entire households, managing everything from grocery shopping to health monitoring, according to SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son. During a speech on Thursday, Son predicted that within just two to three years, artificial general intelligence (AGI) could become a reality, transforming daily lives by handling complex tasks.
Son’s remarks come as part of a broader discussion on the rapid advancements in AI, particularly highlighting OpenAI’s latest version of ChatGPT as a key player in mimicking human reasoning. He envisions AI-powered personal agents that understand emotions, offering tailored services aimed at maximizing user satisfaction.
A Future of AI-Run Homes
Son’s forecast envisions AI becoming deeply integrated into homes by as early as 2026. These AI systems could manage tasks such as purchasing groceries, helping children with homework, and even monitoring health. He particularly emphasized the progress of artificial general intelligence, which would be capable of understanding and performing a wide variety of cognitive tasks, much like a human. According to Son, the latest developments by OpenAI—particularly the advanced capabilities of the ChatGPT model—are already demonstrating significant progress toward achieving this goal.
He noted that AI, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, can generate responses to complex inquiries, such as providing financial advice or improving electric vehicle efficiency, within mere seconds. Son believes this type of reasoning could soon be applied to household management, predicting a future where AI personal agents manage intricate tasks, like filling a bathtub at the perfect moment or responding to emotional needs.
AI Creating New Synapses
Drawing comparisons between AI and the human brain, Son explained how generative AI is creating new “synaptic connections” at a rapid pace. The human brain, with its roughly 100 trillion synapses, remains constant, but AI is expanding its own capabilities far beyond this limit, according to Son. These new AI models, he explained, are evolving to become not just assistants but emotionally aware entities focused on improving users' well-being.
SoftBank’s Investment in AI Chips
Son’s speech comes on the heels of SoftBank’s major investment in OpenAI’s recent $6.6 billion funding round. SoftBank is reportedly preparing to invest $100 billion into AI chips, highlighting the growing need for more advanced hardware to support the evolving capabilities of artificial intelligence. Much of this effort will rely on technology from Arm Holdings PLC, a SoftBank subsidiary that has been instrumental in advancing AI chip technology.