Time magazine has named the “Architects of AI” as its 2025 Person of the Year, recognizing tech leaders whose innovations in artificial intelligence are reshaping industries, governments, and daily life. This prestigious title highlights the figures driving AI’s global impact, from ChatGPT to autonomous robots.
Who Made the Cover
The cover features prominent tech innovators, including Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Elon Musk (xAI, Tesla), Sam Altman (OpenAI), Jensen Huang (Nvidia), Lisa Su (AMD), Demis Hassabis (Google DeepMind), Dario Amodei (Anthropic), and Fei-Fei Li (Stanford University). Time illustrated the group in a homage to the iconic 1932 ironworkers lunch photo, symbolizing their high-stakes influence on the world stage.
AI’s Impact on the World
According to Time, these leaders have “grabbed the wheel of history”, placing multibillion-dollar bets on AI technologies that are transforming the information landscape, climate strategies, and global economies. They have influenced government policies, altered geopolitical dynamics, and introduced AI-powered tools into homes worldwide. Time describes AI as “arguably the most consequential tool in great-power competition since nuclear weapons.”
Investment and Partnerships
The magazine also credited investors such as SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, who have poured billions into AI development. Time itself has partnered with AI companies, signing a multi-year content deal with OpenAI in 2024, allowing ChatGPT to access archived Time content and cite its sources.
Previous Persons of the Year
Time’s Person of the Year is awarded to individuals or groups who have shaped the world in a given year. Previous winners include Donald Trump, Taylor Swift, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. By naming the Architects of AI, Time acknowledges the transformative role of technology leaders in 2025.
The recognition highlights the rapid rise of artificial intelligence as a driving force in society, investment, and global innovation, cementing AI’s role as a key factor shaping the future.
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