SoftBank and OpenAI Launch Joint Venture for AI Services in Japan

On February 3, Masayoshi Son, the Chairman and President of SoftBank Group Corp., announced the formation of a joint venture with OpenAI during an event held in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. The venture, named SB OpenAI Japan, will focus on providing specialized artificial intelligence services to Japanese businesses through a service called Cristal Intelligence.

This joint venture is a 50-50 partnership between OpenAI and an intermediary holding company supported by SoftBank Group and SoftBank Corp. As part of the agreement, SoftBank Group will invest 450 billion yen, equivalent to approximately $2.9 billion, annually to utilize the Cristal Intelligence service.

To ensure effective implementation, SB OpenAI Japan plans to deploy a workforce of 1,000 employees dedicated to sales and service introduction. The company aims to develop a tailored AI model for each client, integrating their internal data and offering AI agents that can replace human roles in customer support and sales functions.

Initially, the rollout of Cristal Intelligence will target companies associated with SoftBank Group. During the briefing aimed at potential corporate clients, Masayoshi Son expressed his belief that artificial general intelligence (AGI), which possesses human-like capabilities, will soon become a reality, particularly starting with larger corporations. OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, also participated by showcasing the functionality of the AI agent.

Additionally, OpenAI announced a new feature called "Deep Research," which allows for extensive analysis of varied online content, including texts, images, and PDFs, enhancing their AI capabilities further.