Line Yahoo and Softbank under Japan’s Softbank Group will make it mandatory for employees to use artificial intelligence (AI). The move is aimed at accumulating AI utilization models and know-how within the company in preparation for the distribution of AI agents that perform tasks on behalf of humans.
On the 13th, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that Line Yahoo will prepare regulations requiring the use of AI, such as ChatGPT by OpenAI, during investigations, search, data preparation, and in-house meetings. It is expected that the meeting will include AI organizing its agenda based on past minutes, while in-house inquiries and market analysis will be left to the Generative AI.
Through this, the goal is to double the productivity related to in-house work compared to 2024 by the 2027 fiscal year. It plans to reduce the time spent on repetitive formal work and establish a system that can focus on tasks that require creativity such as sales and AI development.
SoftBank has made it mandatory for all employees to participate in AI development. Employees are required to develop 100 AI apps per person to help them analyze data or fill out document forms using tools provided by OpenAI. Apps that are deemed useful will be introduced into the business in earnest.
Softbank’s subsidiary PayPay has launched a reorganization of its personnel and labor management system based on the premise of using AI. With AI taking over some of the in-house tasks, the company plans to gradually reorganize its personnel evaluation, recruitment and talent allocation system within the next two to three years. “How many talented people use AI well determines a company’s competitiveness,” said Junichi Miyagawa, president of Softbank.
It is interpreted that Softbank is accumulating know-how on AI utilization at the group level in preparation for future market expansion. Japanese companies are not yet enjoying high Generative AI utilization. According to Microsoft and other foreign companies, the utilization rate of AI in Japanese workplaces stood at 32 percent as of last year, far below the global average of 75 percent.
SoftBank Group Chairman Son Jeong-ui once defined the group’s future as “ultra-artificial intelligence (ASI)” at a regular shareholders’ meeting held last month. “The belief that an ASI that surpasses people will definitely come has not changed since 50 years ago,” Son said. “SoftBank Group was founded to realize ASI. I hate it unless it is No. 1 in personality.”
SoftBank Group has also decided to make a new investment worth about 40 billion dollars this year in OpenAI, the operator of ChatGPT. SoftBank will directly invest 30 billion dollars and the remaining 10 billion dollars will be jointly invested with other investors such as Microsoft. It is also participating in the Stargate project, which builds AI infrastructure in the U.S., with a 40% stake and plans to raise up to 500 billion dollars.
SAM KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
