Masayoshi Son, founder of SoftBank Group, has expressed concerns regarding AI safety risks as technology advances. This shift in perspective comes despite his long-standing position as a major proponent of artificial intelligence development.
SoftBank has significant financial exposure to the sector, with total commitments to OpenAI projected to reach $65 billion by October 2026. To support these investments, the company raised $11,1 billion through a junk bond sale earlier this year.
Market sensitivity to safety discussions is already evident. On September 14, 2026, SoftBank shares fell by more than 13% following cautionary statements from leaders at OpenAI and Anthropic regarding frontier model development.
Son maintains that AI is in its early stages and has set a two-year target for achieving artificial superintelligence, which he defines as systems 10,000 times smarter than humans. Investors are now monitoring regulatory developments and debt management.
