SoftBank OpenAI launch AI-driven cybersecurity service to defend Japan critical infrastructure

Japan's tech business SoftBank rolls out OpenAI 'patches' against cyberattacks

TOKYO (AP) -- Japanese technology giant SoftBank Group Corp. is launching a service using OpenAI technology to protect against the looming threat of cyberattacks, both companies said Tuesday. Chief Executive Masayoshi Son called Japan' s vulnerability to cyberattacks "a crisis," comparing it to a potential assault by machine guns instead of the rifle shots of the past. SoftBank will offer "a patching service," targeting the nation's top 3,000 companies behind crucial infrastructure like airports, power systems and transportation, Son said. "I feel it is our duty," Son said, repeatedly referring to the criminal attackers as "the bad guys." The service involves first diagnosing any weaknesses to attacks, and then analyzing what needs to be done to patch up such "holes," Son said. Sam Altman, chief of OpenAI, was scheduled to attend the launch, but instead appeared only in a short video. He said he couldn't make it because his baby daughter was born earlier than expected. Mark Chen, OpenAI's chief researcher, was present in his place. SoftBank and OpenAI, behind the popular chatbot ChatGPT, set up a 50:50 joint venture named SB OAI Japan last year to develop and exclusively market an AI service for the Japanese market. Tuesday's announcement was a key update, highlighting the rollout. No monetary value was announced. But SoftBank said everyone who came to the presentation in Tokyo Tuesday can apply for a free diagnosis. The use of AI has caused the number of attacks to balloon exponentially and grow more complex, meaning defenses have had to become more AI-savvy and versatile. ___ Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

SoftBank, OpenAI launch 'Patching as a Service' in Japan

Masayoshi Son says AI has turned cyberattacks into "machine guns," and SoftBank's answer, built on OpenAI's cyber models, will hunt for vulnerabilities in the firms behind Japan's airports, power and transport. It assesses and advises, though; it does not apply the fixes itself. SoftBank and OpenAI are moving into cyber defence. The two said on Tuesday they are launching "Patching as a Service," a security product built on OpenAI's technology, to shield the companies behind Japan's critical infrastructure from a rising wave of cyberattacks. SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son framed the threat in stark terms, calling Japan's exposure "a crisis" and likening today's AI-powered attacks to machine guns replacing the rifle shots of the past. What the service actually does is narrower than the name suggests. It runs an AI-driven vulnerability assessment, then helps plan how to fix the weaknesses it finds and advises on carrying the work out. It stops short of applying the patches itself, and SoftBank is clear that expert human teams still do the prioritising and the planning. The first customers will be operators of national infrastructure: at the launch Son put the target at around 3,000 firms behind Japan's airports, power systems and transport, though the official release describes a more measured, progressive outreach to "selected eligible companies." Why SoftBank and OpenAI are selling security The pitch rests on a simple, uncomfortable logic: attackers are already using AI to automate and scale their attacks, so defences have to become just as AI-savvy. The same models that probe systems for flaws can be turned around to find them first. SoftBank says it tested exactly that on itself, running a large-scale assessment of its own internal systems with OpenAI's cyber models and reporting "promising results," then carrying those lessons into the product. The launch runs through SB OAI Japan GK, the 50:50 joint venture SoftBank and OpenAI set up last year to develop and exclusively sell OpenAI-based services in Japan, paired with SoftBank Corp.'s operational knowhow. SoftBank is already one of OpenAI's largest backers and a partner in its data-centre build-out, so this is the relationship turning into a product at home. "AI is transforming cybersecurity," OpenAI chief Sam Altman said, framing the goal as tools that "accelerate defenders." A launch without Altman, and without a price The rollout was the headline, not the fine print. SoftBank put no price on the service and disclosed no contract values; everyone who attended the Tokyo presentation can apply for a free diagnosis. Altman was due to appear in person but showed up only in a short video, saying his daughter had arrived earlier than expected. OpenAI's chief researcher, Mark Chen, stood in. The honest caveat is the gap between the name and the service. "Patching as a Service" sells the idea of holes sealed automatically; what is shipping is closer to an AI-assisted audit with a remediation plan attached, and humans still apply the fixes. That is not a small thing on systems where a single missed flaw can take down a power grid or an airport. SoftBank is betting that defenders move faster with AI than without it. The bet is reasonable. The proof will be in whether the holes actually get closed.

SoftBank launches cybersecurity product based on OpenAI models

The "Patching as a Service" product will be rolled out in Japan through a joint venture established ⁠last ⁠November between SoftBank's domestic telecoms arm, SoftBank Corp, and OpenAI. Japan's SoftBank Group has launched a cybersecurity product designed to counter breaches enabled by artificial intelligence, the company said on Tuesday. The "Patching as a Service" product will be rolled out in Japan through a joint venture established ⁠last ⁠November between SoftBank's domestic telecoms arm, SoftBank Corp, and OpenAI. The launch deepens ties between the two firms, which have been developing AI system integration services for Japanese businesses, and comes amid growing fears for the security risks posed by the latest AI ⁠capabilities. Last week the U.S. government suspended access to OpenAI rival Anthropic's Fable 5 and Mythos 5 ⁠models to foreign nationals over national security concerns. "We want to create a system where we will be able to defend critical Japanese infrastructure," SoftBank founder and chief executive Masayoshi Son said at a presentation to enterprise clients in Tokyo. "We want to leverage the new weapon of OpenAI to defend, we see this as our obligation," Son added. SoftBank Group is one of OpenAI's ⁠largest backers and its cumulative committed investment by the end of 2026 stands at $64.6 billion. At present there are around 50 people working on the product rollout and this is set to expand to around 1,000 people, SoftBank Corp chief executive Junichi Miyakawa said at the presentation on Tuesday.

SoftBank Offers OpenAI Cybersecurity Tech to Defend Japan's Critical Infrastructure | PYMNTS.com

The new Patching as a Service solution includes cybersecurity vulnerability assessments, remediation planning and implementation support, and it will be offered in Japan through SB OAI Japan GK, the company said in a Tuesday (June 16) press release. SB OAI Japan is a joint venture of SoftBank and OpenAI that was launched in November 2025 to offer a combination of AI tools and localized implementation and support to enterprises in Japan. "Attempted cyberattacks powered by advanced AI will become widespread," SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son said in the Tuesday press release. "We're determined to defend against them by using state-of-the-art AI." Patching as a Service is powered by OpenAI's technology and SoftBank's operational capabilities, according to the release. When SoftBank used OpenAI's cybersecurity technologies to assess its own internal systems, it saw promising results and gained operational experience that will be applied to the rollout of Patching as a Service, per the release. "Leveraging the practical expertise we've acquired through our use of OpenAI's cybersecurity technologies, we'll confront the increasingly sophisticated cyber threats targeting Japan's critical infrastructure," SoftBank President and CEO Junichi Miyakawa said in the release. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in the release that AI is transforming cybersecurity and that OpenAI aims to use the technology to support defenders. "We're excited to work with SoftBank to deliver the transformational benefits of our cyber models to more organizations in Japan and strengthen the systems all of us rely on," Altman said. The PYMNTS Intelligence report "Embedding Security: Designing Fraud Risk Out of Business Transactions" found that 24% of banking CEOs said that enhanced cybersecurity is the top benefit of using AI. Son told CNBC on June 1 that the AI revolution is probably 50 times bigger than the dot-com one, and that it is "the biggest revolution of technology and realization that mankind ever experienced." PYMNTS reported in May that SoftBank has invested more than $30 billion in OpenAI and that it recorded a cumulative $45 billion increase on that stake last year.