Sustainability

Responsible AI

The Group’s mission is to stay at the forefront of the Information Revolution and ensure that the revolution builds a more connected, empowered, and joyful world. At the core of the Information Revolution today lies AI. Aspiring to become a world leader in the use of AI, we are working toward the realization of ASI and are committed to promoting responsible AI so that AI benefits everyone.

Toward Effective Group Governance on AI

SoftBank Group Corp. has identified “Responsible AI” as the most important material issue relating to sustainability that should be addressed with priority and aims to establish an appropriate group AI governance structure. As part of this effort, we established the AI Governance Working Group under the Group Risk and Compliance Committee (GRCC) in April 2024. The members of the working group come from related departments within SoftBank Group Corp. and major Group companies. The working group convenes regularly to share best practices and to engage in ongoing discussions on how AI governance should be approached across the Group.

AI Governance Working Group Structure

Organizational structure diagram of the AI Governance Working Group at SoftBank Group Corp. The Board of Directors oversees the Group Risk and Compliance Committee (GRCC), which directs, advises, and guides the AI Governance Working Group (WG). The WG reports and submits matters to the GRCC, and the GRCC in turn reports and submits them to the Board. The WG is further structured with multiple theme-specific sub-working groups.

Aiming for the Active Use of AI

To realize ASI, SoftBank Group Corp. is facilitating foundational initiatives to enable the active use of AI. For example, we have added action statements on responsible AI to the SoftBank Group Code of Conduct, which enshrines the ethical standards for the Company, and provide training to all officers and employees to promote awareness and understanding of the code. In addition, SoftBank Group Corp. has established separate guidelines for AI developers, providers, and business users. Also, SoftBank Group Corp. has a mechanism whereby the Information Security Committee evaluates the project in advance when AI is developed or adopted internally in order to mitigate the risks. Furthermore, SoftBank Group Corp. implements various measures, including annual assessments of its Group companies, to monitor their initiatives and risks, thereby facilitating the effective use of AI across the entire Group.

Supporting the Next-Generation AI Research Partnership

In May 2025, SoftBank Group Corp. announced that SoftBank Group Corp. and Arm will contribute $15.5 million to Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), supporting its next-generation AI research partnership with Keio University (Keio).
This partnership is part of the academic–industry collaboration in the field of AI announced by the governments of Japan and the United States in April 2024. The partnership aims to further strengthen the ties between the two nations as international leaders in AI.
With support from SoftBank Group Corp. and Arm, researchers at CMU and Keio will embark on work in four main areas: multimodal and multilingual learning, embodied AI for robotics, autonomous AI symbiosis with humans, and life sciences and AI for scientific discovery.
With this contribution, we have also established the SoftBank Group–Arm Fellowship to support Ph.D. students at CMU, in addition to supporting research in the four main areas. The research topics of the fellowship recipients are featured on CMU’s official website story. In addition, the funding will support academic programs for undergraduate students, contributing to the development of the next generation of talent.
Through these initiatives, we are committed to advancing innovative research and cultivating visionary AI talent, while promoting responsible AI and contributing to solutions for societal challenges.

Optimizing Work Efficiency through AI

SoftBank Group Corp. is also advancing the internal use of AI. For example, we have implemented an AI chatbot that automatically responds to various internal inquiries, such as those related to the IT infrastructure environment, which were previously handled by employees. Through these initiatives, we are improving work efficiency, enhancing employee convenience, and reducing workloads.

Group Companies’ Initiatives

Promoting risk-based AI governance（SoftBank Corp.）

To ensure the company’s AI-driven services are safe and secure for customers to use, SoftBank Corp. has established the SoftBank AI Ethics Policy,* and is promoting AI governance through collaboration with relevant departments and other related parties, under the leadership of an independent and specialized unit. In April 2024, the company established the AI Ethics Committee, a panel composed of internal members and external AI experts, and since then, it has been discussing regulatory trends and issues both in Japan and overseas. In December 2024, SoftBank Corp. launched a risk-based approach to strike a balance between expediting the development and provision of AI services and managing the risks associated with such. With this approach, governance processes are adapted to the risk level of the case in question, enabling dynamic vetting processes that mitigate excessive workload without compromising risk reduction. SoftBank Corp. is also committed to AI ethics and governance education. The education includes an annual e-learning course, workshops held twice a year, a monthly online newsletter, and other initiatives for improving employees’ AI literacy. While the above initiatives and insights are partly intended for business purposes, the goal extends beyond the company. They are intended to improve the standard of AI governance across society, enabling the responsible use of AI more broadly.

As of October 31 2025, the policy applies to 88 Group companies of SoftBank Corp.

Self-directed learning to promote broader use of AI（LY Corporation）

Educational manga about AI on Yahoo! JAPAN Kids

In 2021, LY Corporation established the Expert Panel on AI Ethics, on which it continually discusses how to use AI appropriately and what governance frameworks should be in place. LY Corporation has also formulated the Basic Policy on AI Ethics and has established the Generative AI Group as a dedicated organization to facilitate the use of generative AI across the company. In March 2025, the company further strengthened AI governance by issuing internal guidelines that encompass a comprehensive range of best practices for mitigating risks in the development, provision, and use of AI. Actively committed to educating and training its employees, LY Corporation requires all officers and employees to attend semiannual courses on the risk management and prompt engineering for generative AI. In January 2025, the company launched the Generative AI Boot Camp, a program designed to teach the use of generative AI and prompt engineering, inspired by the concept of turning something difficult into something enjoyable. The content was designed to encourage employees to engage in self-directed learning—to use their spare moments to improve their knowledge. Through initiatives such as these, LY Corporation is improving the AI competence of its employees.