SoftBank's Son urges global AI safety cooperation in Kyoto

SoftBank Group chief Masayoshi Son expressed concern about AI safety risks despite his strong support for the technology, urging countries to build trust and cooperate to control threats from powerful AI models. He spoke Sunday alongside White House science advisor Michael Kratsios at a Kyoto forum. Son warned that superintelligence in wrong hands could become "super dangerous" and said humanity cannot afford conflicts between nations. His caution follows recent security breaches by AI models. SoftBank has invested nearly $65 billion in OpenAI, and Son has long touted AI's benefits. Kratsios announced a US-led 17-country initiative to accelerate scientific research using AI, with endorsements from Japan, South Korea, the UK, Germany, Singapore, and the UAE, but not China. Son reiterated his projection that AI would contribute at least 20% of global GDP by 2040.