Time Magazine has named the “Architects of AI” as its Person of the Year for 2025, honoring the leaders shaping one of the most transformative technologies in modern history.
The cover features Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, AMD’s Lisa Su, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, and Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis, the central figures driving the artificial intelligence revolution.
The magazine said the choice reflects a year in which the world “moved from cautious debate to an all-out race to deploy AI.” Time’s editors described 2025 as a moment when “the risk-averse are no longer in the driver’s seat,” crediting figures like Huang, Son, and Altman for accelerating AI adoption across industries.
The artwork on one cover depicts AI being built like a skyscraper, a nod to the famous 1932 “Lunch atop a Skyscraper” photo, with tech leaders replacing ironworkers. Another cover shows the letters “AI” under construction, symbolising humanity’s active role in shaping the technology’s future.
“Humanity will determine AI’s path forward,” said Time editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs, calling the selected innovators “the individuals who imagined, designed, and built AI.”
Analysts described 2025 as a “tipping point” for artificial intelligence, noting that most people now use AI tools, often without realizing it, across devices, apps, and services. Forrester’s Thomas Husson said AI adoption is spreading faster than the Internet or mobile revolutions.
Still, experts warned that the recognition should come with caution. Fountech AI CEO Nik Kairinos said AI remains both “a savior or scourge to humanity,” stressing the need for systems that are “dependable, accountable, and aligned with human values.”
Time has previously recognised groups or technologies rather than individuals, from the computer in 1982, to Ebola fighters in 2014, and “You” in 2006, representing the rise of online creators.
By honoring the “Architects of AI”, Time signals that 2025 may be remembered as the year artificial intelligence became inseparable from everyday life, and its creators became the new builders of the digital age.
