How TIME Chose the 2024 TIME100 Most Influential People in AI

In the latest list published in this year’s TIMES 100 AI, TIME magazine presents major movers of the AI systems. This year’s list captures the growth of AI at a very dynamic pace; currently, 91 new companies entered the list, varying by industries and regions. Starting from Francesca Mani who at the age of 15 became the deepfake protection advocate and ending with one of China’s most famous computer scientists – Andrew Yao – the list catalyzes a vast spectrum of inventors.

The process was done by the editors and correspondent of TIME with interviews and consultation with members included in the last year list. Inviting true professionals such as Google CEO Sundar Pichai as well as Signal’s president Meredith Whittaker underscores the duality of AI as both an opportunity and threat with respect to security and privacy in particular.

This year’s ranking is notable for major shifts: conflicts around OpenAI’s leadership involving Sam Altman and increasing role of technology corporations as both AI investors and machinery movers. These days AI is shifting from concept-creation to problem-solving and with pioneers like Zack Dvey-Aharon, AEYE Health and Brett Adcock from Figure, various sectors including healthcare are realizing what role AI could play in the future of various industries.

Currently, TIME aims at opening discussions regarding AI’s future among its leaders and to deliberate on opportunities and risks of such a quick development. The TIME100 AI community will meet annually for the first time this year, starting with San Francisco and then London.

Photo-illustration by Klawe Rzeczy for TIME; Source images: Brownlee: Mackenzie Stroh; Gill: Lev Radin—Pacific Press/LightRocket/Getty Images; Huang: Bridget Bennett—Bloomberg/Getty Images; Huffman: Brendan McDermid—Reuters; Johansson: Cindy Ord—Getty Images; Kapoor: Sujit Jaiswal—AFP/Getty Images; Khosla: Anastasiia Sapon—The New York Times/Redux; Kurzweil: Simon Simard; Mensch and Pichai: Alain Jocard—AFP/Getty Images; Su: David Paul Morris—Bloomberg/Getty Images; Toner: Jerod Harris—Getty Images; Wei: Carlos Garcia Rawlins—Reuters; Images Courtesy of the Subject: DiCerbo, Kak, Raimondo, Al Bannai, Hooker