New York [US], December 12 (ANI): Acknowledging the sweeping influence of Artificial Intelligence across technology, business, society, and daily life, TIME magazine has named the “Architects of AI” as its 2025 Person of the Year.
The magazine highlighted a group of leaders driving the global acceleration of AI, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg, X owner Elon Musk, and AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li. They appear on one of two special covers created for the issue. One cover features artwork depicting the letters “AI” surrounded by workers, while the second features a painting focused on the tech leaders themselves.
According to a CBS report, one cover painting by artist Jason Seiler is an interpretive recreation of the iconic 1932 photograph “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper,” showing workers perched on a steel beam high above New York City during the construction of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. In Seiler’s recreation, prominent figures at the forefront of AI development—including Zuckerberg, Lisa Su of AMD, Musk of xAI, Sam Altman of OpenAI, Demis Hassabis of DeepMind, Dario Amodei of Anthropic, Fei-Fei Li of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute, and Huang—are depicted seated on the beam.
TIME’s core list features eight leaders: Huang, Altman, Musk, Zuckerberg, Su, Hassabis, Amodei, and Fei-Fei Li. The broader feature also acknowledges SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son and Indian-origin innovators such as Karandeep Anand and Sriram Krishnan.
The second cover, reported by CBC, is illustrated by artist Peter Crowther and portrays the same group of executives working among scaffolding at a site where the giant letters “AI” appear to be under construction.
“2025 was the year when artificial intelligence’s full potential roared into view, and when it became clear that there will be no turning back. For delivering the age of thinking machines, for wowing and worrying humanity, for transforming the present and transcending the possible, the Architects of AI are TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year,” the magazine said in a social media post.
TIME editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs wrote that the Person of the Year distinction aims to spotlight individuals who shape the world, and this year no one had greater influence than those who imagined, designed, and built AI.
In 1982, TIME recognized the computer as “Machine of the Year,” noting America’s rising fascination with the device, represented by innovators such as Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and IBM president John Opel. In 2006, TIME chose “You” as Person of the Year to symbolize the power of individuals online, citing Wikipedia contributors, early YouTubers, and MySpace users.
Other past honorees include Ebola fighters in 2014 and whistleblowers in 2002. Trump was named the 2024 Person of the Year, succeeding Taylor Swift, who received the title in 2023.
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