SoftBank's Masayoshi Son: 'The Era of 1 Billion Humanoid Robots Will Arrive by 2040'

By 2040, 1 billion humanoid robots will be deployed worldwide. Chairman Son compared the advancement of AI to the self-replication and self-evolution processes of life forms, emphasizing that this trend cannot be stopped. He declared that those who do not possess their own AI agents will have reached the end of their evolution.

Chairman Son proposed the concept of 'Return on AI Investment (ROAI)' as a new standard for corporate management. He stated that productivity must be evaluated against AI investment, going beyond the traditional Return on Assets (ROA).

He repeatedly emphasized that if greater productivity and profit can be achieved within three years than the cost of AI investment, companies should invest boldly, and that the core role of management is to continuously advocate for AI within the company.