“We will become fish:” Masayoshi Son’s super-AI rhetoric lands hard in Seoul

Upon meeting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Seoul on Friday, Japanese SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son had some engrossing things to say about AI.

Son, whose SoftBank is a prominent investor in OpenAI, compared humans to fish and suggested that AI could win the Nobel Prize for literature.

“The difference between the human brain and the… goldfish in the pot – the difference is 10,000 times,” he said.

“But it's going to be different. We will become fish, they (the AI) become like humans. They will be 10,000 times smarter than us."

It all sounds a bit like dystopian science fiction, like something that Philip K. Dick or Isaac Asimov would have written.

And as it positions ASI (artificial superintelligence) as much more capable and as a separate superior species, Son isn’t concerned about AI wiping us out, as someone like Geoffrey Hinton might argue.

Instead, Son offered a reassurance that we’ll be able to co-exist alongside AI, comparing it to how humans have domesticated pets.

We don't need to eat them... ASI does not eat protein. They don't need to eat us – don't worry.

Potential Nobel prize winner?

Lee asked Son if AI could win the Nobel Prize for literature, to which Son replied, “I think it will.”

This is ironic considering that the prize is tied to national pride for South Korea, as last year's winner was South Korean author Han Kang.

What AI currently lacks is emotional depth and world-class artistry, much to the chagrin of creatives who have been displaced by AI, or even fans of artistic designs who expect better standards, as in a recent case with Italian designer Valentino.

The South Korean president had preceded his question with “I don’t think this is a desirable situation.”

South Korea’s aims for AI podium

President Lee has stood alongside a $7.3 billion investment in AI for 2026, a "aimed at propelling South Korea into the ranks of the world's top three AI powers," as he said last month.

With the US and China as the top two AI superpowers, the arms race for the rest of the world is certainly on.

Also, at Friday’s meeting with Son, Lee announced that South Korea is partnering with UK semiconductor design unit Arm, which will help train 1400 chip professionals to help SoftBank scale up operations.

This will help plug the gap by "strengthening areas where South Korea's semiconductor industry is relatively weak," said presidential advisor Kim Yong-beom.

And as Maaysoshi Son is a major backer of Sam Altman’s Open AI, the international dots begin to look connected, as both Japan and South Korea seek both international recognition and collaboration in AI.

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