Seoul — SoftBank CEO and well-known AI investor Masayoshi Son made bold new claims on Friday about the future of artificial intelligence during a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
Son, whose company is a major backer of OpenAI, said he believes advanced AI could become so intelligent that humans would seem like “fish” in comparison.
He explained it like this:
“The difference between the human brain and a goldfish is about 10,000 times. In the future, that’s how big the gap will be between us and AI.”
According to Son, this level of artificial super intelligence (ASI) could make AI 10,000 times smarter than humans, far beyond even the most advanced systems available today.
AI as the “New Humans”
Son said that in this future, AI will take on a role similar to how humans relate to pets:
- Humans try to care for their pets
- Pets rely on humans
- They live together peacefully
He suggested that ASI may treat humans in a similar way, but added humorously:
“ASI doesn’t eat protein. They don’t need to eat us — don’t worry.”
President Lee laughed but admitted he was “a bit concerned”.
Could AI Win a Nobel Prize?
Lee then asked whether such super-intelligent AI could win the Nobel Prize in Literature, which was awarded last year to South Korean author Han Kang.
Son’s answer was simple:
“I think it will.”
Lee replied that he didn’t think this would be “a desirable situation.”
A Long Road Ahead
Artificial super intelligence remains theoretical, but many scientists say the first big step—artificial general intelligence (AGI), which can outperform humans at most tasks—might appear within the next decade.
For now, the conversation shows just how quickly the future of AI is becoming a global political and economic topic.
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