SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son announced on Friday that he envisions the Japanese tech investment giant becoming the top platform provider for "artificial super intelligence" (ASI) within the next decade. “We aim to lead the industry in the artificial super intelligence era,” Son said during the company's annual shareholder meeting. He compared his ambition to the dominance of tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google (Alphabet), which have benefited from the “winner-takes-all” effect in their respective domains.

In earlier statements, Son described ASI as artificial intelligence that surpasses human intelligence by a factor of 10,000. After years of cautious spending, SoftBank has resumed its aggressive investment approach—one that earned Son recognition with major early bets like Alibaba, though also brought major losses, such as the collapse of WeWork. This year, the group made significant AI-related investments, including the $6.5 billion acquisition of U.S. chip designer Ampere and a commitment of up to $40 billion in funding for OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT.

Son revealed that SoftBank’s total committed investment in OpenAI now stands at $32 billion since it began investing in fall 2024. He admitted he wished he had invested earlier and anticipated OpenAI would eventually go public. “I’m fully committed to OpenAI,” he said. SoftBank previously held around a 5% stake in Nvidia, a leading AI chipmaker, but sold it in 2019—prior to the AI boom triggered by ChatGPT’s rise in late 2022. Nvidia has since grown into one of the most valuable companies globally.

Son’s renewed investment drive follows a period of pullback after many of SoftBank's tech startup bets through its Vision Fund lost value in 2022. However, the tide turned when SoftBank raised $5 billion by listing Arm, a British chip designer, in September 2023. Arm’s rising stock value has strengthened SoftBank’s balance sheet, allowing the company to leverage assets for further investments. Son assured shareholders that while SoftBank remains ready to take calculated risks, it continues to uphold a disciplined investment strategy backed by strong financial and user bases.
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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has hired three researchers from OpenAI to join his new "superintelligence" team, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. This development follows recent allegations by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who claimed that Meta has been attempting to lure away key employees from his company. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed the departures but did not provide additional information. The researchers—Lucas Beyer, Alexander Kolesnikov, and Xiaohua Zhai—were previously working at OpenAI’s Zurich office. Their move highlights the growing competition among tech giants in the race to dominate the AI landscape.

The term "superintelligence" refers to a future form of artificial intelligence that would surpass human abilities in all domains. Although such advanced AI systems do not yet exist, they are considered the next step beyond artificial general intelligence (AGI), which is itself still theoretical. AGI would be capable of performing a wide variety of tasks at human-level proficiency, but experts believe its realization is still decades away.

According to the report, Zuckerberg has personally taken charge of the global search for AI talent, directly contacting researchers and entrepreneurs through emails and WhatsApp messages. His hands-on approach comes amid a wave of aggressive recruitment efforts. Last week, Sam Altman alleged that Meta had offered OpenAI employees bonuses as high as $100 million in an attempt to attract them—claims that underscore the escalating battle for top AI minds. In response, OpenAI has reportedly made significant counteroffers to keep its core team intact. Despite its early reputation as a leader in open-source AI, Meta has faced internal challenges, including delays in product launches and a series of employee exits. Altman noted that he believes Meta views OpenAI as its primary competitor in the field.

In another major move, Meta recently brought on Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang to contribute to its superintelligence efforts. The company has also acquired a 49% stake in Scale AI for $14.3 billion. Scale AI is known for its expertise in data labeling—an essential process in training large AI models. Through these strategic hires and partnerships, Meta is signaling its intent to compete seriously in the development of artificial general intelligence and beyond, despite the technical and ethical hurdles that still lie ahead.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from Business Standard.

Tesla shares soared over 9% on Monday following the launch of its long-anticipated robotaxi service, marking a key milestone in the company's autonomous driving ambitions. CEO Elon Musk has long emphasized self-driving technology as central to Tesla’s high valuation. The company rolled out a small fleet of driverless taxis in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, offering rides without human drivers for a flat rate of $4.20 within a restricted area. This marks the first time Tesla vehicles have transported paying passengers without a driver behind the wheel.

The trial is vital for Tesla as it shifts focus from mass-market electric vehicles to autonomous technology and robotics, especially amid slowing EV demand and increasing competition from Chinese automakers. Tesla informed U.S. regulators that details about the robotaxi’s safety features are confidential and should not be disclosed publicly. This comes after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sought clarification on safety concerns, particularly in adverse weather conditions.

Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives, a long-time Tesla supporter who experienced multiple rides during the test, described the experience as “safe, comfortable, and personalized.” He noted the vehicle’s smooth navigation through challenging urban scenarios. Videos from social media influencers also showed the robotaxis handling complex city traffic with caution, yielding space and slowing for oncoming vehicles. Despite this promising start, experts warn the small-scale trial—consisting of around 10 cars with safety monitors onboard—is just an early phase in a lengthy path toward wide deployment.

Tesla and competitors like Waymo have faced federal scrutiny and vehicle recalls due to accidents. Critics remain skeptical about Tesla’s reliance on camera-based AI rather than incorporating backup sensors like lidar and radar, citing weather and lighting limitations. The company also faces regulatory hurdles, including a new Texas law effective September 1 that will require permits for self-driving vehicles, reflecting bipartisan concerns over safety.

If the stock rally holds, Tesla stands to gain nearly $100 billion in market capitalization, pushing its valuation close to $1 trillion. However, shares are still down about 12% year-to-date, impacted by weaker demand and controversy surrounding Musk’s political affiliations. Despite this, Tesla trades at a steep multiple of 149 times forward earnings, significantly higher than rivals like Ford (9.3x) and even tech leaders like Microsoft (31.6x).
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Meta announced on Monday that Arun Srinivas has been appointed as its new Managing Director and Head for India, effective July 1. This move follows Sandhya Devanathan’s expanded responsibilities, now overseeing both India and Southeast Asia. In his new role, Srinivas will continue reporting to Devanathan and will be responsible for aligning Meta’s business strategies, innovation initiatives, and revenue goals to better serve its partners and clients in India. He will lead Meta’s India operations and work to deepen relationships with top brands, advertisers, developers, and partners to drive market growth.

An alumnus of IIM Kolkata, Srinivas brings nearly 30 years of experience in sales and marketing, having worked with major companies like Hindustan Unilever, Reebok, OLA, and WestBridge Capital. He currently serves as the Director and Head of Meta’s Ads Business in India. Since joining Meta in 2020, he has been instrumental in strengthening partnerships with leading advertisers and agencies, with a focus on key growth areas such as AI, reels, and messaging.

Commenting on the appointment, Sandhya Devanathan said, “With India playing a key role in global economic growth and innovation, Arun is well-positioned to lead our efforts in this vital market. His proven leadership in building strong teams, driving innovation, and nurturing strategic partnerships will help accelerate Meta’s growth in India, particularly in areas like AI, WhatsApp, and reels.”
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With wearable devices like the Oura Ring becoming increasingly common, some users report feeling more anxious due to constant access to data about their bodies. Andrea Heng and Susan Ng talk to Dr. Jay Lee, a sports psychologist at the Singapore Sports and Medicine Centre, about the fine line between healthy self-tracking and unhealthy obsession.
Disclaimer: This Podcast is taken from CNA.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Technology has instructed telecom providers to block Telegram due to its lack of cooperation in addressing alleged crimes by its users. This led Daniel Martin and Justine Moss to ask Associate Professor Natalie Pang from NUS’s Department of Communications and New Media whether a messaging app could one day be banned in Singapore.
Disclaimer: This Podcast is taken from CNA.

Mind Your Money explores the impact of AI in the workplace and its potential to unlock human potential, in a conversation with Associate Professor Terence Ho, Deputy Executive Director at the Institute of Adult Learning.
Disclaimer: This Podcast is taken from CNA.