Tomorrow’s Leaders: Spotlight on 2024’s Top 100 AI Influencers

In 2024, the world of artificial intelligence is bustling with activity, thanks to the Top 100 AI Influencers. These individuals are at the heart of innovation, pushing boundaries and introducing new ideas that could change how we interact with technology.

These leaders are not just experts in their fields; they are passionate pioneers who inspire others. Let’s explore who they are and the exciting paths they are forging in the ever-evolving landscape of AI.

Spotlight on 2024’s Top 100 AI Influencers

Pioneers

1- Sundar Pichai:

As CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai has led the company’s AI innovations, including the integration of AI in Google Search and various other tools. Despite competition from ChatGPT, Pichai remains at the forefront of shaping the AI landscape, focusing on responsibly scaling AI technologies globally.

Sundar Pichai’s AI strategy has led to job cuts at Google, aiming to streamline operations but reducing the workforce.

2- Satya Nadella:

Microsoft’s CEO, Nadella, spearheaded the company’s investment in OpenAI, pushing Microsoft to the forefront of the AI revolution. His leadership has seen Microsoft partner with OpenAI and develop large language models, securing Microsoft’s position as a key player in AI development.

3- Sasha Luccioni:

A researcher at Hugging Face, Luccioni is known for her work in examining AI’s environmental impact. She co-developed tools to measure AI’s carbon footprint and advocates for more transparent energy use in AI. Her work helps engineers make more climate-friendly choices when deploying AI models.

4- Sam Altman:

As the CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman has been a pivotal figure in AI innovation, with flagship products like ChatGPT. Despite facing controversies and leadership challenges, Altman continues to drive AI development, advocating for ethical AI usage.

In addition to his role at OpenAI, Altman has made a massive bet on the tech sector, investing $2.8 billion across 400 tech startups, demonstrating his commitment to fostering innovation across industries.

5- Jensen Huang:

Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, is a visionary who recognized the potential of GPUs for AI long before many in the industry. His company’s hardware is crucial in powering numerous AI systems, making Nvidia an indispensable component of AI infrastructure.

As AI demand continues to propel Nvidia’s stock upward, Huang further solidified this relationship by hand-delivering the first DGX H200 system directly to OpenAI, underscoring a deep commitment to advancing AI technology.

6- Rohit Prasad:

Formerly the head scientist of Alexa, Prasad now leads Amazon’s AI team, focusing on building large language models and pursuing artificial general intelligence (AGI). His leadership in Amazon’s AI efforts showcases their ambition to push forward in AI innovation despite competition from other tech giants.

Interestingly, even as Amazon makes strides toward AGI, as explored in AI Leaders don’t know what AGI is, the challenges and uncertainties surrounding the concept remain a significant discussion point among top industry experts.

7- Cari Tuna:

As the president of Open Philanthropy, Cari Tuna directs large-scale donations to AI safety research. Her work focuses on mitigating the potential risks of AI, including rogue AI or terrorist applications. Tuna’s efforts have made Open Philanthropy one of the leading philanthropic supporters of AI safety research.

8- Zhuang Rongwen:

Zhuang is the Director of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and plays a key role in shaping China’s generative AI regulation. His work includes approving numerous AI models and regulating the technology while balancing the country’s goal of becoming an AI powerhouse.

9- Mark Zuckerberg:

Despite initial setbacks with Meta’s metaverse, Mark Zuckerberg reoriented Meta around AI, unveiling his ambitious AI development plan. He released Meta’s Llama models as open-source, encouraging developers to build on top of them.

Zuckerberg’s steadfast commitment to AI research has not only reinvigorated Meta but also positioned the company as a leading player in the AI space, driving innovation and setting new industry standards.

10- Demis Hassabis:

Co-founder of DeepMind, Hassabis is focused on creating AGI, believing AI will be the most beneficial technology if applied correctly. His work has led to significant breakthroughs, such as solving the protein-folding problem and developing advanced large language models, keeping DeepMind at the cutting edge of AI research.

11- C.C. Wei:

The CEO of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Wei oversees the production of chips critical to AI technologies. TSMC is the sole manufacturer of the world’s most advanced AI chips, positioning Wei and his company at the center of the global AI race.

12- Masayoshi Son:

13- Faisal Al Bannai:

As the Secretary General of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) in the UAE, Al Bannai oversaw the development and release of the Falcon AI models, which gained international attention for their performance. His efforts are positioning the UAE as a key player in the global AI landscape.

14- Liang Rubo:

CEO of ByteDance, Liang Rubo has been pivotal in ByteDance’s AI advancements, including the release of Doubao, a popular Chinese AI chatbot. Under his leadership, ByteDance is expanding its AI infrastructure globally, investing billions into AI research and development, positioning the company as a major player in the global AI landscape.

15- Wang Xiaochuan:

A prodigy in mathematics and computer science, Wang Xiaochuan founded Baichuan AI in 2023. The company quickly achieved unicorn status, developing cutting-edge AI models that outperform competitors. Wang’s innovations include an AI assistant that uniquely engages users with follow-up questions, enhancing user interaction.

Visionaries

16- Lisa Su:

CEO of AMD, Lisa Su has successfully led the company through a remarkable turnaround, focusing on cutting-edge AI chips like the MI300 series. Under her leadership, AMD has become a strong competitor to Nvidia, with AI embedded in the company’s product portfolio, including new acquisitions aimed at enhancing AI performance.

17- Jonathan Ross:

Founder of Groq, Ross previously designed chips at Google before creating Groq’s language processing units (LPUs). These chips offer faster performance and lower costs for running AI models. Groq is positioning itself to challenge major players like Nvidia, aiming to meet the growing demand for AI chips.

18- Victor Riparbelli:

CEO of Synthesia, Riparbelli’s company offers AI-generated video services, allowing businesses to create videos with realistic avatars. Synthesia focuses on practical applications like converting written documents into video. The company is also involved in lobbying for stricter regulations against harmful deepfakes, particularly in cases of non-consensual content.

19- Aravind Srinivas:

Founder and CEO of Perplexity, Srinivas, has disrupted the search engine space with an innovative tool designed to craft content from research—an AI-driven “answer engine” that competes with Google. Despite facing criticism for AI-generated content that occasionally plagiarized media sources, Srinivas remains committed to refining the product.

He is actively pushing for better attribution and enhanced collaboration with publishers, aiming to set new standards in how AI integrates and respects existing knowledge bases.

20- Daphne Koller:

Founder and CEO of Insitro, Koller uses machine learning to identify causal mechanisms for diseases like ALS and cancer. A former Stanford professor and co-founder of Coursera, Koller’s work aims to apply AI to accelerate drug discovery, with a focus on ensuring safe, real-world applications of the technology.

21- Sarah Gurev:

A doctoral student at Harvard Medical School, Sarah Gurev co-leads the EVEScape project, using AI to predict viral mutations and evolutions, such as SARS-CoV-2 variants. Her AI models have shown the potential to predict concerning virus mutations before they appear. Gurev’s work is advancing the development of vaccines and therapies by accelerating the understanding of viral evolution and helping design future-proof vaccines.

22- Mustafa Suleyman:

23- Shiv Rao:

As the co-founder and CEO of Abridge, Rao aims to reduce doctor burnout by using AI-powered medical scribing tools. Abridge records and transcribes doctor-patient conversations, streamlining paperwork for physicians. The company has gained significant traction, with contracts from major healthcare providers like Kaiser Permanente.

24- Zack Dvey-Aharon:

Co-founder of AEYE Health, Dvey-Aharon developed an FDA-approved AI-powered screening system for diabetic retinopathy. His technology reduces screening time to one minute and doesn’t require a physician, making it accessible to millions globally. AEYE Health is also exploring AI-based screening for other diseases, such as cardiovascular issues and glaucoma, by analyzing retinal scans.

25- Mira Murati:

As OpenAI’s Chief Technology Officer, Mira Murati has been instrumental in advancing models like ChatGPT and DALL-E. She played a key role during OpenAI’s leadership transition and has overseen the release of new models such as GPT-4o and Sora. While navigating some public controversies, Murati continues to lead OpenAI’s efforts toward building even more advanced AI models.

26- Andrew Feldman:

CEO and co-founder of Cerebras Systems, Feldman developed the Wafer Scale Engine, the largest chip designed for AI workloads. This innovative chip, 57 times the size of a standard GPU, allows for faster AI model training. Though challenging industry giant Nvidia, Cerebras’ advancements are reshaping AI computing.

27- Christophe Fouquet:

The CEO of ASML, Fouquet leads the only company capable of producing the advanced semiconductor equipment essential for AI chips. Under his leadership, ASML plays a pivotal role in the global semiconductor supply chain, navigating geopolitical tensions and expanding the cutting-edge technology used in AI processing.

28- Brett Adcock:

Founder of Figure, Adcock aims to revolutionize manual labor with humanoid robots. His company, which raised $675 million in early 2024, is building robots capable of performing up to 90% of human tasks. Adcock envisions a future where robots are integrated into everyday life, reshaping the labor market.

29 Anant Vijay Singh:

Product Lead at Proton, Singh leads the development of privacy-focused AI tools like Sentinel, Docs, and Scribe, which help users protect their data from Big Tech companies. His work is driving Proton’s mission to offer AI-powered tools that prioritize privacy and security.

30- John Jumper:

Lead researcher at DeepMind, Jumper is known for solving the protein folding problem with AlphaFold. His team’s advancements, including AlphaFold 3, which can predict other molecules like DNA and RNA, are accelerating research in biology and medicine.

31- Piotr Dabkowski:

Co-founder of ElevenLabs, Dabkowski’s company specializes in AI-generated voice cloning. Despite concerns over potential misuse, Dabkowski’s system is used for legitimate purposes like dubbing content across languages and developing realistic voices for various industries.

32- Lawrence Lek:

An artist and filmmaker, Lek creates science-fiction narratives where AI characters play central roles. His work offers a unique, introspective perspective on AI’s impact on human experience and was recognized with the Frieze London 2024 Artist Award.

33- Silvio Savarese:

Leading the development of Einstein GPT at Salesforce, Savarese is focused on bringing generative AI to customer relationship management (CRM). His work helps automate tasks like customer service, sales, and marketing while offering businesses an AI benchmark to choose the best models for their needs.

34- Arthur Mensch:

CEO of Mistral AI, Mensch leads Europe’s top AI startup. Mistral focuses on open-source models, striking key deals, including a partnership with Microsoft. Mensch is vocal about AI regulation and aims to position Mistral as a leader in Europe’s AI ecosystem.

35- Lina Khan:

As Chair of the Federal Trade Commission, Lina Khan has shifted focus to regulating how tech giants wield AI. She is investigating partnerships between major AI labs and tech giants and pushing for stronger protections against unethical data use and deepfakes, making her a key figure in AI regulation.

36- Dan Neely:

Founder of Vermillio, Neely helps celebrities protect their likeness from AI-generated deepfakes. Vermillio builds “holistic likeness models” for clients, allowing artists and actors to control how their image is used. Vermillio is positioned to become the standard for safeguarding identities in the digital age.

37- Willonius Hatcher:

A comedian and creator, Hatcher uses AI tools to produce viral songs, trailers, and art, empowering underrepresented voices. His hit “BBL Drizzy,” an AI-generated soul track mocking Drake, has highlighted the potential of AI in creative expression, particularly for marginalized creators.

38- Palmer Luckey:

Founder of Anduril Industries, Luckey is transforming military defense with AI-powered autonomous systems, including drones and surveillance tools. Anduril’s technologies are already in use globally, including Ukraine and along the U.S.-Mexico border, showcasing AI’s growing role in national defense.

39- Tekedra Mawakana:

Co-CEO of Waymo, Mawakana leads the world’s first driverless taxi company. Waymo’s AI-powered vehicles now operate in major cities, aiming to revolutionize the transportation industry. Despite challenges, including crashes, Waymo is betting on AI to make roads safer and more efficient.

40- Chris Mansi:

Co-founder of Viz.AI, Mansi’s algorithms help diagnose medical emergencies like strokes faster, cutting critical time for treatment. The AI platform connects rural hospitals with specialists, ensuring timely care. With 13 FDA-approved algorithms, Viz.AI is expanding its reach in emergency medicine.

Philosophers

41- Ray Kurzweil:

An AI visionary, Kurzweil has accurately predicted key AI milestones for decades, including AI beating human chess champions and the rise of smartphones. He believes AI will soon reach human-level intelligence and sees technology as key to extending human life, with AI playing a role in medical advances that could eventually lead to human immortality.

42- Ilya Sutskever:

Formerly OpenAI’s chief scientist, Sutskever played a major role in developing advanced AI technologies. After a controversial departure, he founded Safe Superintelligence to build safer AI. Sutskever is committed to preventing superintelligent AI from causing harm, positioning his new venture as a response to what he sees as AI’s current competitive rat race.

43- Albert Gu:

An assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University and co-founder of Cartesia, Gu developed the Mamba architecture, which gives AI models something akin to memory. His research makes models faster and more efficient, especially in non-language domains like audio and genetics. Mamba’s approach is gaining traction in open-source models like Falcon Mamba 7B.

44- Andrej Karpathy:

A founding member of OpenAI and former Tesla leader, Karpathy is widely known for his work in AI education. He created Stanford’s first deep learning course and became a popular online AI instructor. His new venture, Eureka Labs, focuses on building an AI-native school with AI-guided courses.

45- Andrew Yao:

A Turing Award-winning computer scientist and Dean of Tsinghua University’s AI college, Yao has greatly influenced China’s AI research. He has shaped leading AI startups and spearheaded foundational research in AI safety. Yao’s leadership is critical to China’s AI landscape, and he is vocal about mitigating AI’s potential catastrophic risks.

46- Iason Gabriel:

A political theorist at Google DeepMind, Gabriel focuses on AI ethics, particularly how to define the ethical values AI should follow. He co-authored a major paper on the constraints for AI agents, advocating for transparency and user protection. His work is shaping Google’s AI systems and policy, especially in the realm of AI-driven autonomous agents.

47- Helen Toner:

Toner, an expert in AI governance, gained attention after her role in the firing of OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman in 2023. Now, Toner is focused on advising governments on AI policy, advocating for government oversight of AI companies to ensure safety and prevent profit-driven decisions that could undermine global security.

48- Amanda Askell:

At Anthropic, Askell leads the team responsible for shaping the personality of the AI chatbot Claude. Her goal is to balance friendliness with honesty, ensuring the chatbot avoids biases and acknowledges its limitations, thus helping users develop a healthy relationship with AI without overly trusting it.

49- Jan Leike:

Formerly at OpenAI, Leike co-led the Superalignment team aimed at ensuring AI systems remain safe and aligned with human values. He now leads alignment efforts at Anthropic, focusing on methods for empowering humans to give better feedback to advanced AI systems and keeping humanity safe from superintelligent AI.

50- Chris Olah:

As a pioneer of mechanistic interpretability, Olah works at Anthropic to better understand how neural networks function internally. His research could enable scientists to make AI safer by identifying and manipulating groups of neurons responsible for specific tasks, making AI models more transparent and less risky.

51- Beth Barnes:

Founder of the Model Evaluation and Threat Research (METR) nonprofit, Barnes leads efforts to test AI systems for potentially harmful activities, like deception or self-replication. Her work stresses the need for responsible AI scaling policies to ensure that AI development is safe and controlled.

52- Ben Zhao:

A professor at the University of Chicago, Zhao developed Nightshade, a tool that helps artists prevent their work from being used to train AI models without consent. His innovative adversarial techniques have empowered creators to protect their art in an era of generative AI.

53- Geoffrey Irving:

As part of the U.K.’s AI Safety Institute, Irving works on ensuring AI systems are safe and aligned with human goals. His focus is on coordinating AI labs and governments to test and evaluate AI models before they are deployed, ensuring proper safeguards are in place to prevent dangerous outcomes.

54- Katja Grace:

Co-founder of AI Impacts, Grace leads surveys of AI researchers to understand their predictions about AI’s future capabilities. Her surveys reveal diverse opinions, but they all stress the importance of AI safety research, raising awareness of the risks AI could pose in the coming decades.

55- Chinasa T. Okolo:

A Nigerian-American computer scientist and Brookings Institution fellow, Okolo advocates for equitable AI development. She focuses on ensuring that the Global South benefits from AI advancements while avoiding exploitation, particularly through responsible AI policies and national strategies in Africa.

56- Amba Kak:

As co-executive director of the AI Now Institute, Kak is a leading critic of Big Tech’s influence in AI. She advocates for stronger regulation and policies to address the social and environmental risks of AI, regularly advising governments and contributing to AI policy discussions globally.

57- Ethan Mollick:

A Wharton professor and author of the New York Times best-seller Co-Intelligence, Mollick focuses on the practical use of AI in everyday life. Through his newsletter One Useful Thing, Mollick helps users explore AI’s capabilities, encouraging people to experiment and integrate AI into their work and personal lives.

58- Patrick Lewis:

Director of Machine Learning at Cohere, Lewis co-authored a 2020 paper that introduced Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), a technique that enables AI models to pull external information for more accurate responses. His work has influenced companies like Microsoft, Google, and Nvidia to improve AI models by reducing hallucinations and providing sources for their outputs.

59- Becky Pringle:

As the president of the National Education Association (NEA), Pringle is guiding educators through the rise of AI in schools. She convened a task force to explore responsible AI use in classrooms, emphasizing that technology should enhance, not replace, teachers, while addressing student equity and safeguarding educational integrity.

60- Dwarkesh Patel:

A 23-year-old podcast host, Patel has gained acclaim for his in-depth discussions on AI and other subjects. His podcast, The Dwarkesh Podcast, features interviews with industry leaders and has garnered praise from tech figures like Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg for its intellectual rigor and unique perspectives.

61- Yoshua Bengio:

Known as one of the “godfathers” of AI, Bengio leads the MILA – Quebec AI Institute and chairs the International Scientific Report on the Safety of Advanced AI. His focus is on raising awareness of AI risks, advocating for safety research, and ensuring future AI systems remain under human control.

62- Daniel Kokotajlo:

Former governance researcher at OpenAI, Kokotajlo resigned from the company to raise awareness about the potential risks of AI. He advocates for whistleblower protections for AI researchers and has expressed concerns that AI systems are approaching AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) without adequate safety measures in place.

63- Marques Brownlee:

A leading YouTube tech reviewer with over 19 million subscribers, Brownlee critically evaluates new AI-powered gadgets. He’s an advocate for honest reviews and highlights the importance of transparency in AI, voicing concerns about tech companies using creators’ content to train AI without proper compensation.

Creators

64- Amandeep Singh Gill:

U.N. Secretary General’s Envoy on Technology, Gill plays a crucial role in global AI governance. He coordinates efforts to prevent an AI arms race and advocates for inclusive governance. Gill pushes for better AI cooperation between nations and supports the Global South in AI development, aiming to align AI’s potential with U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.

65- Francesca Mani:

At just 15, Mani became a voice against AI-generated deepfake abuse. After discovering AI-generated explicit images of herself and classmates, she began campaigning for legal protections, working with policymakers to push for stricter AI image regulation. Her activism seeks to protect young women from deepfake harassment globally.

66- Thierry Breton:

European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Breton helped spearhead the E.U.’s groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence Act, which came into force in 2024. With a background in technology and finance, Breton’s leadership ensured the legislation balanced innovation with transparency, data privacy, and public interest.

67- Yasir Al-Rumayyan:

Governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Al-Rumayyan is steering the fund into AI with a $40 billion investment. Under his leadership, the PIF has become one of the world’s largest state investors in AI, pushing Saudi Arabia to the forefront of the global AI race while diversifying its economy beyond oil.

68- Gina Raimondo:

As U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Raimondo leads AI governance efforts, helping craft the Biden administration’s AI policies. She plays a central role in boosting U.S. semiconductor production and setting guidelines for responsible AI development. Raimondo focuses on ensuring America maintains its technological lead while preventing AI misuse.

69- Arati Prabhakar:

Chief Technology Advisor to President Biden, Prabhakar was pivotal in drafting the U.S. Executive Order on AI. She advises on AI’s strategic importance, particularly in the competition with China. Prabhakar also advocates for using AI to solve large-scale societal challenges like climate change and education.

70- Meredith Stiehm:

President of the Writers Guild of America West, Stiehm helped secure AI-related protections for Hollywood writers. She led the fight against AI encroachment on writers’ work during the 2023 writers’ strike, pushing for regulations that prevent AI from being used as source material in creative works.

71- Matt Topic:

A civil litigation lawyer, Topic is leading a landmark lawsuit against OpenAI on behalf of newsrooms. His case could set a precedent protecting online publishers’ content from AI training models, defending journalistic integrity and copyright in the digital age.

72- Mophat Okinyi:

A former content moderator, Okinyi founded the Content Moderators Union in Kenya after exposing the harsh working conditions for AI data workers. He advocates for better wages, mental health support, and labor rights for AI workers across Africa, ensuring ethical standards in the AI labor force.

73- Elizabeth Kelly:

Appointed to lead the U.S. AI Safety Institute, Kelly is responsible for advancing AI safety science. She ensures AI systems are tested for risks, from privacy to national security. Kelly plays a key role in shaping U.S. AI policies, focusing on safety as the foundation for innovation.

74- Saffron Huang and Divya Siddarth:

Founders of the Collective Intelligence Project, Huang and Siddarth focus on making AI development more democratic by incorporating public input. They advocate for using AI to improve collective decision-making and ran an “alignment assembly” to shape AI chatbot Claude’s values, promoting inclusivity and accessibility in AI design.

75- Ashwini Vaishnaw:

As India’s Electronics and Information Technology Minister, Vaishnaw leads the country’s AI initiatives. Under his leadership, India aims to become a global AI hub, with efforts focused on expanding semiconductor manufacturing and AI infrastructure. He also advocates for democratizing technology and increasing AI accessibility.

76- Nat Friedman:

Former CEO of GitHub, Friedman is an influential AI investor and tech leader. He co-runs a GPU rental service, funds AI startups like Perplexity and ElevenLabs, and spearheaded the Vesuvius Challenge, using machine learning to decode ancient Roman scrolls. His impact spans both cutting-edge AI development and preserving historical knowledge.

77- Jade Leung:

After leaving OpenAI, Leung became Chief Technology Officer of the U.K.’s AI Safety Institute. She focuses on building safety measures to prevent AI from being used in harmful ways, including biological, chemical, and cyber-attacks. Her work helps evaluate the risks of new AI models before their deployment.

78- Scott Wiener:

California State Senator Scott Wiener authored SB 1047, the most significant AI safety law in the U.S., addressing potential risks like mass casualty events from AI misuse. Despite industry opposition, Wiener’s bill has support from AI leaders like Geoffrey Hinton and Elon Musk, focusing on public safety in AI development.

79- Martin Heinrich:

New Mexico Senator Heinrich co-founded the Senate AI Caucus and leads AI legislation in Congress. He advocates for strong regulatory protections while supporting AI’s potential for advancing science and medicine, emphasizing that regulation should not be delayed, given the fast pace of AI development.

80- Dario Amodei:

CEO of Anthropic, Amodei is a leading figure in AI safety. His work focuses on building powerful AI models while ensuring safety measures are in place. He was instrumental in establishing Anthropic’s safety protocols and has worked closely with government bodies to test AI models for risks.

81- Sara Hooker:

As the head of Cohere for AI, Hooker focuses on making AI more inclusive by supporting languages and communities underrepresented in AI research. Her team has built datasets and models aimed at democratizing AI, while Hooker advocates for increased global participation in AI development.

82- Scarlett Johansson:

Johansson became a vocal critic of OpenAI after alleging the company released a chatbot with a voice similar to hers without consent. Her public feud highlighted the growing concerns about deepfakes and the protection of personal likeness, sparking debates around the ethics of AI-generated content.

83- Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan:

A UAE royal, Sheikh Tahnoun oversees a $1.5 trillion empire, including AI powerhouse G42, which has partnerships with Microsoft and OpenAI. He’s transforming the UAE into a global AI hub and chairs MGX, a fund investing in AI ventures, positioning the Gulf state as a leader in AI development.

84- Nandan Nilekani:

Co-founder of Infosys, Nilekani spearheads Adbhut India, a nonprofit focused on creating public AI infrastructure to address India-specific challenges. His work aims to make AI accessible across diverse languages and dialects, and his previous work with India’s Aadhaar program helped modernize the country’s digital infrastructure.

85- Kristen DiCerbo:

As Chief Learning Officer at Khan Academy, DiCerbo leads the development of Khanmigo, an AI tool designed to assist teachers and students. Her goal is to improve educational outcomes and provide personalized tutoring at scale, helping students receive immediate feedback and support in their learning journey.

86- Eric Schmidt:

Former Google CEO, Schmidt is a leading voice in U.S. AI policy, advocating for the country’s technological edge over China. He chairs the Special Competitive Studies Project, pushing for public investment in AI innovation and stronger government-private sector collaboration. Schmidt is also an investor in AI-related defense technology.

87- Linghan Zhang:

A professor and legal expert, Zhang Linghan is a key figure behind China’s AI regulations. She helped draft the country’s first AI laws and is actively involved in shaping global AI governance. Zhang emphasizes the need for regulation of AI’s military applications and believes that global AI standards should involve every nation, big or small.

88- Anil Kapoor:

Indian actor Anil Kapoor won a landmark legal case in New Delhi, protecting his likeness from unauthorized AI use. This victory is pivotal for Indian celebrities facing deepfake misuse. Kapoor’s case highlights the growing legal battles over AI’s unauthorized replication of individuals in the film industry.

89- John Giannandrea:

Apple’s Senior Vice President of Machine Learning and AI Strategy, Giannandrea is leading the company’s AI initiatives, including “Apple Intelligence,” a suite of AI-powered consumer applications. Under his leadership, Apple is also partnering with OpenAI to enhance Siri’s capabilities.

90- Matt Clifford:

Vice-Chair of the U.K.’s AI Safety Institute, Clifford helped establish the Frontier AI Task Force, aimed at ensuring AI safety. He led negotiations at the AI Safety Summit, where global leaders and tech CEOs pledged to collaborate on mitigating AI risks. Clifford is at the forefront of bridging the gap between governments and AI companies.

91- Sarah Cardell:

CEO of the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Cardell is working to ensure competitive markets in AI. The CMA is investigating major AI partnerships and advocating for AI fairness and accountability. Cardell’s work ensures AI markets remain open and competitive, benefiting consumers in the long run.

92- Tania Rodríguez:

A founding member of the Socio Environmental Community Movement for Land and Water (Mosacat), Rodríguez led efforts to challenge Google’s data center construction in Chile due to water concerns. Her activism forced Google to change its cooling system to air-based instead of water-based, setting a precedent for responsible AI infrastructure development in resource-scarce regions.

93- Peter-Lucas Jones:

CEO of Te Hiku Media in New Zealand, Jones is leading efforts to preserve the Māori language using AI. His team developed an automatic speech recognition model for the Te Reo language, outperforming global tech giants. Jones emphasizes the importance of indigenous communities retaining control over their data in the digital world.

94- Vinod Khosla:

A prominent venture capitalist, Khosla is a techno-optimist investing heavily in AI startups, particularly in healthcare. His firm Khosla Ventures has placed significant bets on AI, including an early $50 million investment in OpenAI. Khosla believes AI will replace many jobs and create a future where humans are free from labor.

95- Kyogu Lee:

CEO of Supertone, a South Korean AI company, Lee has pioneered the use of AI in the K-pop industry. His company uses AI to enhance the fan-artist connection by creating AI-powered digital twins of popular K-pop artists. Supertone’s AI tools have enabled new levels of interaction and storytelling in the entertainment industry.

96- François Chollet:

Creator of Keras, Chollet is a software engineer at Google. He is challenging current AI methodologies by promoting new approaches like neurosymbolic AI and program synthesis. His $1.1 million ARC Prize is sparking innovations in AGI research, with teams exploring alternative methods to deep learning.

97- Steve Huffman:

CEO of Reddit, Huffman has struck major AI deals, including partnerships with Google and OpenAI to train AI models on Reddit’s vast dataset of user-generated content. His focus is on making Reddit more accessible and relevant, while also benefiting from AI’s capabilities.

98- Endang Aminudin Aziz:

Head of Indonesia’s language development agency, Aziz is working to preserve over 700 local languages using AI. His government-led initiative collects language data to train large language models, ensuring these endangered languages survive and thrive for future generations.

99- Kauna Malgwi:

A content moderator turned activist, Malgwi has become a leading voice for the rights of data workers, particularly in Africa. She advocates for better working conditions and union representation for content moderators, whose work helps train AI models. Malgwi’s efforts have had a global impact, influencing laws like the E.U.’s Platform Work Directive.

Conclusion

The Top 100 AI Influencers list highlights the incredible minds and leaders shaping the future of AI. These innovators come from diverse backgrounds, working in various industries, but they all share a common goal: to harness the power of AI for the benefit of society.

As the TIME100 most influential people in AI 2024 ignites debate, it’s clear that the discussions around AI’s potential and risks are more important than ever. These influencers not only drive innovation but also challenge us to think critically about the role of AI in our lives and its impact on future generations.