Mashable: ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence-powered chatbot from Microsoft-backed startup OpenAI, has a loyal user in SoftBank Group Chief Executive Masayoshi Son. He revealed to shareholders of the group’s telecoms subsidiary on Tuesday that he chats with ChatGPT every day and considers himself a heavy user.

According to a report, Son is a prominent investor in technology companies, but he has also faced some challenges in recent months due to the declining value of his portfolio and the planned listing of chip designer Arm. He may find ChatGPT a useful companion.

ChatGPT is not an ordinary chatbot. It is a generative AI that can produce natural language responses based on any input. It can also write stories, poems, code, and lyrics. It can serve as a personal assistant, therapist, and creative partner for its users.

Son is in close contact with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who has been visiting Tokyo frequently this year to advocate for generative AI and influence its regulation worldwide.

Altman’s startup is supported by investment from Microsoft, which is seen as a leader in AI adoption and has begun a host of AI upgrades. Microsoft also has exclusive access to ChatGPT’s code and can use it for its own products and services.

SoftBank is set to have its annual general meeting this Wednesday, and people in the market are eager to learn about Son's investment plans, especially given the growing interest in AI that is driving global capital expenditure.

Son has always believed that AI is the main driving force behind his investment decisions. However, he has faced setbacks with notable failures like WeWork, an office-sharing company, and challenges with the valuations of the high-growth startups he prefers.

If Arm, the chip licensing and designing giant headquartered in Cambridge, manages to have a successful listing, it would be a major triumph for SoftBank. Currently, SoftBank is grappling with a heavy debt burden. Their long-term credit rating was recently downgraded by S&P Global Ratings, primarily because of their involvement with unlisted companies.

As experts discuss Son's ability to select successful ventures in an economy that is expected to increasingly rely on AI, the stock prices of SoftBank have experienced a surge alongside the frenzy surrounding chip and AI-related stocks, with gains of approximately 30% so far this quarter.

But perhaps Son is not concerned about all that. Perhaps he just enjoys chatting with his new friend ChatGPT.