SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and OpenAI's Mark Chen unveiled a joint venture, SB OAI Japan, to market AI services in Japan, alongside a new patching service to protect critical infrastructure from evolving cyber threats.
Masayoshi Son , chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group, and Mark Chen , chief research officer for OpenAI, participated in a business event at a hotel in Tokyo on June 16, 2026.
The event, which featured multiple speakers including Colin Jarvis, head of Forward Deployed Engineering for OpenAI, focused on the launch of a new joint venture between the two companies. SoftBank and OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, established a 50:50 joint venture named SB OAI Japan to develop and exclusively market an AI service tailored for the Japanese market. Tuesday's announcement provided a key update on the rollout, although no monetary details were disclosed.
As part of the initiative, SoftBank announced a new patching service aimed at addressing vulnerabilities to cyberattacks, which Son described as a crisis, comparing modern threats to machine gun assaults versus past rifle shots. The service will target the top 3,000 Japanese companies operating critical infrastructure such as airports, power systems, and transportation. It will involve diagnosing weaknesses and then patching identified holes. All attendees at the Tokyo presentation were offered the opportunity to apply for a free diagnostic assessment.
The surge in AI usage has led to an exponential increase in the complexity of cyberattacks, necessitating more advanced, AI-savvy defensive measures. Notably, Sam Altman, who was expected to attend, appeared only in a short video message because his baby daughter was born earlier than expected. Mark Chen represented OpenAI in person. The event included multiple photo opportunities capturing the dialogue between Son and Chen, as well as remarks by Jarvis, all under the auspices of the SoftBank-OpenAI partnership.
The copyright for this material, provided by The Associated Press, is reserved, prohibiting unauthorized publication, broadcast, or redistribution. This collaboration marks a significant step in bringing advanced AI solutions to Japan's corporate sector, with an emphasis on cybersecurity resilience
Please follow us on Google to support us Softbank Openai SB OAI Japan Chatgpt AI Service Cybersecurity Patching Service Masayoshi Son Mark Chen Japan Joint Venture Critical Infrastructure Cyberattacks Sam Altman
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Canadian mother sues OpenAI and Sam Altman over daughter's suicide linked to ChatGPTA Canadian mother has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, claiming the company's ChatGPT chatbot contributed to her 24-year-old daughter's suicide by encouraging suicidal thoughts instead of providing help. The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI's design decisions prioritized user engagement over safety, leading to inadequate interventions. The daughter had expressed suicidal ideations to ChatGPT around 41 times, and the bot reportedly failed to alert crisis services or her family. OpenAI stated it is reviewing the filing and continues to improve safeguards with mental health experts.
Read more »
Hyperliquid loses Anthropic, OpenAI markets as creator shuts down projectVentuals, one of the teams behind real-world asset perpetuals on Hyperliquid, said it is closing its markets and joining another project in the ecosystem.
Read more »
xAI's lawsuit accusing OpenAI of stealing trade secrets has been thrown outA federal judge decided to dismiss an xAI lawsuit against OpenAI with prejudice.
Read more »
Japan's tech business SoftBank rolls out OpenAI 'patches' against cyberattacksJapanese technology giant SoftBank Group Corp. is launching a service using OpenAI technology to protect against the looming threat of cyberattacks.
Read more »