Perplexity AI uses large language models to answer questions in real time | Credit: Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images

SoftBank Group’s Vision Fund 2 is set to invest between $10m and $20m in US AI search startup Perplexity AI, at a valuation of $3bn, Bloomberg reported on Thursday (26 June), citing people familiar with the matter.

Perplexity AI enables users to get answers to queries with sources and citations, using a variety of large language models (LLMs) to generate information. The AI startup uses popular AI models such as Meta’s open-source Llama and OpenAI’s GPT-4. 

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The two-year-old startup has faced criticism for its tool that provides a summary of news stories, with some concerned that journalists and news publications are losing out on credit for their work. 

However, the startup has managed to stand out from the influx of other AI companies due to its commitment to providing real-time information. 

SoftBank‘s investment in Perplexity AI is part of a larger $250m funding round, Bloomberg reported.

Terms of the deal have not yet been finalised and could be changed, the people said. 

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The deal highlights SoftBank’s ambitions to deepen its AI investment. On Friday (21 June), billionaire founder Masayoshi Son said his new life goal was to realise artificial super intelligence (ASI).

Son said ASI will feature thousands of AI models talking to each other like neurons in a brain, which will lead to AI being dramatically smarter than human life. 

“SoftBank was founded for what purpose? For what purpose was Masa Son born? It may sound strange, but I think I was born to realise ASI. I am super serious about it,” Son said.

In April, it was reported that SoftBank would invest $960m by 2025 to create state-of-the-art GenAI.

SoftBank‘s computing network will likely be the most powerful in Japan once the investment is completed, according to the report, as the company looks to create powerful specialised Japanese GenAI.