SoftBank's Son says Japan should make AI mandatory subject for college students

By Sam Nussey

TOKYO (Reuters) – SoftBank Group Corp (T:) Chief Executive Masayoshi Son said on Tuesday Japan should make artificial intelligence (AI) a mandatory subject for college entrance exams, to counter the yawning gap with the United States and China in the nascent field.

Japanese students “don’t study if they are not asked… let’s put it as mandatory, then Japanese students will catch up,” Son told a government conference aimed at fostering innovation.

The comments came as Son pointed to the widening gap in GDP and AI-related patents filed in Japan compared to China and the United States.

“Japan has lost the past, but may be losing the future,” he said.

Son said Japan should focus on two areas – autonomous driving and DNA-centered medicine – to help combat the pressures of its rapidly aging society, which is seeing a rise in traffic accidents involving elderly drivers and healthcare costs.

“Even today’s technology of autonomous driving is better than senior citizens driving on the street,” Son said.

SoftBank and its $100 billion Vision Fund has focused investments in these two areas, including ride-hailer Uber Technologies (N:) and medical testing firm Guardant Health (O:). Both companies have sold off in public markets recently.

As U.S.-China trade tensions create uncertainties along supply chains, Japan should leverage its close relationship with the United States to get ahead in cutting-edge tech, Son said.

“Instead of fighting against American technologies, let’s collaborate,” he said.

SoftBank last month announced it would scoop up messaging app operator Line Corp (T:), part of a wave of consolidation in Japan as U.S. tech giants make inroads.

Disclaimer: Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. All CFDs (stocks, indexes, futures) and Forex prices are not provided by exchanges but rather by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual market price, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Therefore Fusion Media doesn`t bear any responsibility for any trading losses you might incur as a result of using this data.

Fusion Media or anyone involved with Fusion Media will not accept any liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on the information including data, quotes, charts and buy/sell signals contained within this website. Please be fully informed regarding the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, it is one of the riskiest investment forms possible.