SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son ridicules AI critics for ‘spitting upwards’

{"text":[[{"start":9.35,"text":"Masayoshi Son has ridiculed opponents of AI for “spitting upwards” as the SoftBank billionaire predicted the technology would account for 20 per cent of global output by 2040."}],[{"start":21.049999999999997,"text":"Son told a room of executives at his annual SoftBank World event that condemning AI was the modern version of rejecting cars and aeroplanes."}],[{"start":30.349999999999998,"text":"“Those who dislike AI have essentially refused their own evolution,” he said. “Those who condemn AI are themselves spitting upwards.”"}],[{"start":39.599999999999994,"text":"His comments came as the veteran investor inserts himself into the AI revolution through huge investments in Arm, OpenAI and other tech companies."}],[{"start":49.599999999999994,"text":"Yet investors are growing wary of SoftBank Group’s rising leverage and the possibility of delays to OpenAI’s initial public offering."}],[{"start":58.39999999999999,"text":"SoftBank has been attempting to build a role across data centre infrastructure, AI models, chips and robots in order to cement itself at the centre of what Son believes will be an evolution to superintelligence."}],[{"start":70.85,"text":"While there has been a public backlash over the perceived impacts of AI on employment, Son expressed his distaste for the hesitant — especially Japanese business leaders who failed to create new giants in the internet era."}],[{"start":84.39999999999999,"text":"“Modest presidents” who are not prepared to embrace AI to become number one in their industry within 15 years “should play the role of spouse”, he said."}],[{"start":93.1,"text":"“The most important thing for the president to say is ‘AI, AI, AI’.”"}],[{"start":97.75,"text":"The 68-year-old expressed bullish views on the potential for AI to transform the global economy, predicting with confidence that it would account for $46tn of global GDP within 15 years and generate annual profits of half that figure."}],[{"start":113.75,"text":"To enable the rollout of AI, the Japanese investor estimated that 3 terawatts of data centres would be needed by 2040 to provide the computing power to run trillions of AI agents and billions of humanoid robots."}],[{"start":128.15,"text":"The figure is equivalent to about a third of total installed power capacity globally, according to the International Energy Agency’s estimates."}],[{"start":137.05,"text":"The SoftBank founder said gas-fired power generation would be needed to achieve that, but in the longer term, nuclear fusion would take its place."}],[{"start":146.3,"text":"Numerous start-ups and research programmes are working on fusion around the world, but none has demonstrated sustained power generation to date."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":154.3,"text":"SoftBank’s energy arm was selected to deliver a $33bn gas-fired power plant in Ohio, a controversial project within the $550bn investment framework that Washington and Tokyo agreed last year in return for US President Donald Trump lowering tariffs on Japan."}],[{"start":171.20000000000002,"text":"SoftBank’s shares have risen 35 per cent so far this year but have come under pressure since peaking in June because of worries over the timing of OpenAI’s blockbuster listing."}],[{"start":191.65,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1784024194_9207.mp3"}