Asian shares are mixed and OpenAI investor SoftBank shares plunge after calls to slow AI industry

HONG KONG (AP) — Asian shares were mixed Monday, as shares of Japanese investment conglomerate SoftBank Group, a key investor in OpenAI, fell more than 10% following calls from Anthropic and OpenAI to slow AI development for safety.

U.S. futures edged lower, while oil prices gained more than 3% as worries grew over global oil supplies after Saudi Arabia shut down a major oil pipeline used to help bypass the Strait of Hormuz after it was attacked.

South Korea's Kospi lost 2.5% to 6,739.68. Japan's Nikkei 225 index slid 0.8% to 63,474.58. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.3% to 24,886.81. The Shanghai Composite index climbed 0.2% to 3,894.28.

Shares of OpenAI investor SoftBank Group traded in Japan plummeted 11.2%, after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman backed Anthropic's CEO Dario Amodei in his calls over the weekend that the AI industry should slow down to ensure its safety.

Altman also said in an interview with Fortune published Saturday that his AI firm would not make its initial public stock offering this year as it focuses on safety.

OpenAI and Anthropic are private companies, but both are expected to list and be traded publicly in the months ahead.

SoftBank's share price slide "probably reflects the possibility that AI development may be slowed by regulators to try to avoid the worst case outcomes that Anthropic and Open AI have discussed," said Dan Baker of investment research firm Morningstar. "And maybe also reflect the possibility that any further examples of loss of control of newer AI models could also slow AI development."