SoftBank CEO warns superintelligence could be dangerous

Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., warned that superintelligence in the wrong hands could become highly dangerous, according to The Business Times. Speaking in Kyoto on October 4, Son said countries must build trust and cooperate as artificial intelligence gains more capabilities.

Son made the comments alongside Michael Kratsios, a science and technology policy adviser at The White House. Kratsios presented a US led effort backed by 17 countries to use AI to accelerate scientific research. Japan, South Korea, the UK, Germany, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates were among the initial participants, while China was not listed.

Son said AI services will move beyond browsing websites and writing code to helping robots interact with the physical world from 2027. He repeated his projection that AI and machines with learning capabilities will account for at least 20 percent of global gross domestic product by 2040, equivalent to about $46 trillion.