SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son just moved up his AGI prediction faster than ChatGPT can say “I come in peace.”
With a casual $25B investment in OpenAI, Son joins Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman in the “Sooner Than You Think” club, pointing to 2026-2027 as humanity’s next big milestone.
As Altman recently mentioned in a blog post, they’re “confident they know how to build AGI” – though he might want to add “before lunch” at this rate!
We are now confident we know how to build AGI [artificial general intelligence] as we have traditionally understood it…[AGI is] basically a solved model.
This broadly tallies with the ‘earliest arrival’ forecast from ARK Invest’s 2024 research.
OpenAI defines the next evolution pragmatically: AGI represents systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work, but with an important mission – to “ensure that AGI benefits all of humanity.
They’ve put a $100B profit target on it with Microsoft – because of course, superintelligence needs a good ROI.
The race to AGI has turned from a marathon into a sprint, with tech giants treating their development timelines like a billion-dollar game of limbo – how low can you go?
Corporate First, Consumer Later
Think of it as a red-carpet launch: Enterprise AGI debuts in 2026-2027, with consumer access following when processing costs become more manageable. Early enterprise deployment seems inevitable given the massive computational requirements – apparently, AGI is as resource-hungry as a Bitcoin mining rig in a heatwave.
The good news? Enterprise gets AGI first. The even better news? By the time it reaches consumers, it’ll have sat through enough boring meetings to know how to actually help you get things done.
What’s in it for Business?
Besides having the first AI that actually understands your company’s org chart, early enterprise AGI adopters could see some major digital transformations. Think autonomous decision-making that makes boardroom deliberations feel like dial-up internet, and strategy optimisation that turns five-year plans into five-minute refreshes.
In retail, AGI systems could manage entire supply chains, predicting demand better than your best analyst. For financial services, imagine risk assessment that spots dark clouds before they gather and portfolio management that makes day trading look like using an abacus.
Manufacturing could see production lines that redesign themselves mid-run for optimal efficiency – it’s science fiction come to life.
Healthcare organisations could get AI systems that revolutionise drug discovery and personalised treatment plans. Even creative industries aren’t immune – AGI could generate entire marketing campaigns while you’re still brainstorming the colour palette!
Companies implementing early AGI systems will experience the kind of transformation usually reserved for Silicon Valley garage startups, minus the mandatory pool table.
Show Me the Money!
When SoftBank throws $25B at something, you know it’s either brilliant, or brilliantly crazy. With Microsoft’s deep pockets and Anthropic’s billions also in play, the AGI gold rush is looking more like a platinum rush. The investment surge makes the recent Trump-driven crypto enthusiasm look like pocket change in comparison.
ARK’s analysis shows we’ve compressed “AGI someday” into “AGI soon.” From 80 years in 2019 to 8 years in 2023, we’re accelerating faster than a shiny new Tesla. The 2026-2027 prediction suddenly doesn’t seem like science fiction – more like a rapidly approaching, exciting, and slightly scary reality.
Expert Takes
The timeline acceleration represents a significant shift in industry expectations, supported by massive investments and rapid technological advancement.
With Softbank’s Son publicly revising his AGI predictions and backing it with billions in investment, by 2027 we might just have AGI figuring out mundane workplace processes, humanity’s biggest challenges, and anything and everything in between. Watch this space!
