Softbank’s chief executive has issued a Terminator-style warning, saying mankind will be taken over by artificial intelligence (AI).
Masayoshi Son, head of the tech investment fund which owns chip designer Arm, said his company will pursue an aggressive growth strategy focused on the emergence of AI.
This is despite the Japanese-based firm posting losses of £21bn earlier this year.
“What I am interested in most, what I am working on most, is the AI revolution. I believe that mankind is going to be exceeded by computers or AI,” he said.
“In the past few years, we focused on being [in] ‘defence’. Three years ago, we didn’t have a lot of cash on hand. But because we have been in defence mode, we have built our cash on hand to five trillion yen (£27.6bn).”
So far, the investment fund’s bets on emerging tech have largely been misses, which has raised questions about Son’s leadership.
Softbank faced criticism from the UK government when it decided to list Cambridge-based Arm in the US, as opposed to its native UK.