SoftBank CEO says he is ‘heavy user’ of ChatGPT

TOKYO - SoftBank Group’s chief executive Masayoshi Son said on Tuesday he is a “heavy user” of ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence-powered chatbot from OpenAI.

“I am chatting with ChatGPT every day – I am a heavy user,” Mr Son told shareholders of the group’s telecoms subsidiary.

Amid excitement over artificial intelligence (AI), Mr Son has stepped back from public pronouncements in recent months to focus on the

planned listing of chip designer Arm

as his technology investment conglomerate books heavy losses due to the

sliding value of its portfolio

.

Mr Son also said he is speaking “almost every day” to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who made

high-profile visits to Tokyo

in 2023 as he looks to capitalise on interest in generative AI and exert influence on regulation of the burgeoning technology worldwide.

The San Francisco-based start-up is supported by investment from Microsoft, which is seen as a leader in AI adoption and has begun a host of AI upgrades.

SoftBank will hold its annual general meeting on Wednesday, with the market looking for details of Mr Son’s investment outlook at a time when interest in AI is driving capital expenditure around the world.

Mr Son has long argued that AI is the driving force behind his investing activity, but has had to contend with high-profile stumbles such as office-sharing firm WeWork and weakness in valuations of the high-growth start-ups he favours.

A successful listing of Arm would be seen as providing a much-needed win for the indebted Japanese conglomerate, whose long-term credit rating was in May cut by S&P Global Ratings, citing its exposure to unlisted companies.

As observers debate Mr Son’s ability to pick winners in an economy expected to be increasingly powered by AI, his group’s shares have been swept up in a frenzy for chip and AI-related stocks, gaining around 30 per cent to date this quarter. REUTERS