SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has sharply criticised opponents of artificial intelligence, arguing that resistance to the technology is equivalent to rejecting technological progress, as he projected AI would account for 20% of global economic output by 2040. Speaking at SoftBank World, the company’s annual conference, Son also outlined his expectations for AI-driven growth while reaffirming SoftBank’s strategy of investing across the sector’s key technologies.
Addressing an audience of business executives, Son compared criticism of artificial intelligence with historical opposition to innovations such as automobiles and aircraft. He said those who oppose AI were rejecting their own evolution and described critics as “spitting upwards.” The remarks come as SoftBank continues to expand its investments in artificial intelligence through holdings in Arm, OpenAI and other technology companies.
Son’s comments were delivered against a backdrop of growing investor scrutiny over SoftBank’s financial position. Market participants have expressed concerns about the group’s increasing leverage and the possibility that OpenAI’s anticipated initial public offering could be delayed. Despite those concerns, SoftBank has continued to pursue investments across data centre infrastructure, AI models, semiconductor technology and robotics as part of Son’s long-term vision of positioning the company at the centre of the transition toward what he describes as superintelligence.
The SoftBank founder also criticised business leaders who have been reluctant to embrace artificial intelligence. Referring particularly to Japanese corporate executives, Son said leaders who are unwilling to use AI with the ambition of becoming the leading company in their industries within the next 15 years “should play the role of spouse.” He told the audience that the most important message a company president should deliver is “AI, AI, AI.”
Son presented an optimistic outlook for the economic impact of artificial intelligence, predicting that the technology would contribute approximately US$46 trillion to global gross domestic product by 2040. He also estimated that AI-related industries would generate annual profits amounting to roughly half that figure over the same period.
According to Son, achieving that level of AI deployment will require a substantial expansion of computing infrastructure. He estimated that approximately three terawatts of data centre capacity would be needed globally by 2040 to support trillions of AI agents and billions of humanoid robots. The report noted that this figure is broadly equivalent to about one-third of total installed global electricity generation capacity based on estimates from the International Energy Agency.
Son said gas-fired power generation would be required to support the initial expansion of AI infrastructure before eventually being replaced by nuclear fusion. Although multiple research programmes and private companies are pursuing fusion technology worldwide, sustained commercial power generation has not yet been demonstrated.
SoftBank’s energy business has already secured a role in expanding energy infrastructure linked to artificial intelligence. The company has been selected to develop a US$33 billion gas-fired power plant in Ohio under a broader US$550 billion investment framework agreed between Washington and Tokyo. The framework was established as part of an agreement under which U.S. President Donald Trump lowered tariffs on Japanese goods.
SoftBank’s share price has risen 35% since the beginning of the year, reflecting investor interest in the company’s artificial intelligence strategy. However, the stock has retreated from its June peak as investors increasingly focus on the timing of OpenAI’s expected public listing and its potential implications for SoftBank’s broader investment portfolio.
