Time Magazine's Person of the Year for 2025 is not a single individual, but rather a collective known as the architects of artificial intelligence (AI). Among those honored are Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, X owner Elon Musk, and AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li. This recognition highlights the rapid societal changes driven by AI technologies.
The decision comes during a significant technological boom, initiated by OpenAI's launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, which has seen weekly user engagement soar to approximately 800 million users, as reported by OpenAI's Sam Altman. Major tech companies are heavily investing in AI and supporting infrastructures to maintain competitive advantages.
Each of the two covers released this year presents a unique artistic interpretation: one portrays the letters 'AI' amidst workers, while the other features the influential figures themselves, emphasizing their leadership within the industry.
Time's editorial statement reflects a shift from cautious AI deployment to a fervent race for technological advancement, stating that humanity is now flying down the highway, all gas, no brakes, toward a highly automated and highly uncertain future.
Despite the excitement surrounding AI capabilities, experts caution that we are still in the early phases of developing dependable AI systems aligned with human values. Nik Kairinos from Fountech AI suggests that while the acknowledgment of AI leaders is appropriate, the technology's dual potential as both a solution and a threat cannot be overlooked.
This is not the first instance of Time recognizing groups instead of individuals; the magazine has previously awarded persons of the year to collective efforts, such as the Ebola fighters in 2014 and whistleblowers in 2002. The broader message being conveyed is that as AI continues to integrate into daily life, from chatbots to social media, its influence will only grow.
