On Tuesday, the Japanese technology conglomerate SoftBank Group Corp. unveiled a new cybersecurity offering designed to address unknown network vulnerabilities and attacks arising from artificial intelligence (AI). The product, named "Patching as a Service," will be introduced to the Japanese market through a joint venture established in November last year between SoftBank Corp., the group's domestic telecommunications subsidiary, and OpenAI. This launch represents a deepening of the collaboration between the two companies, which have previously been working together to develop AI system integration services for Japanese enterprises. The move comes at a time of growing global apprehension regarding the security risks associated with advanced AI technologies.

Just last week, the U.S. government, citing national security concerns, restricted access for foreign nationals to the Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models developed by Anthropic, a competitor to OpenAI. At a Tokyo demonstration event for corporate clients, SoftBank's founder and CEO, Masayoshi Son, stated the company's ambition to "build a system that can defend Japan's critical infrastructure." He further emphasized their commitment, adding, "We want to use this new weapon, OpenAI, for defense. We believe this is our responsibility."

SoftBank Group stands as one of the largest backers of OpenAI, with cumulative committed investments reaching $64.6 billion by the end of 2026. During Tuesday's presentation, Junichi Miyakawa, CEO of SoftBank Corp., noted that approximately 50 personnel are currently dedicated to promoting this new product, with plans to expand this team to around 1,000 members in the future.