The Faber Report

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son: A.I. will completely change the way humans live within 30 years

Key Points
  • "Within 30 years, definitely, things will be flying," Son tells CNBC.
  • "Things will be running much faster without accident. We will be living much longer, much healthier. The diseases that we could not solve in the past will be cured."
SoftBank CEO on the Vision Fund, Uber IPO
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SoftBank CEO on the Vision Fund, Uber IPO

People should brace themselves for the proliferation of artificial intelligence as it will change the way we live within three decades, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son told CNBC.

"Within 30 years, definitely, things will be flying," Son told CNBC's David Faber in an interview that aired Friday. "Things will be running much faster without accident. We will be living much longer, much healthier. The diseases that we could not solve in the past will be cured."

Son has long championed the benefits of artificial intelligence, investing billions of dollars in companies he believes can capitalize on it. Some of these companies include Uber Technologies and WeWork. He said all the 70 or so investments of his Vision Fund have been focused on AI.

"We are investing $100 billion in just one thing, AI," he said.

Uber is an example of a company that will transform the way humans move around. "Today we are driving ourselves," he said. "That would no longer be the case. "AI would make the transportation to cause zero accidents."

However, some have cautioned against the proliferation of AI.

Physicist Stephen Hawking said before his death last year that the emergence of AI could be "worst event in the history of our civilization," noting it could lead to the creation of autonomous weapons. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in 2017 that AI could bring about World War III.

Others argue that greater artificial intelligence could lead to job losses. But Son is not too worried.

"I'm [an] optimist, OK? There will be always be an issue, … but mankind is smart enough. We always try to adapt to the new situation."

What is Softbank?
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What is Softbank?