Time Magazine Picks 'Architects Of AI' For 2025 Person Of The Year, Citing Dawn Of The 'Age Of Thinking Machines'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Time magazine has named“The Architects of AI” as its 2025 Person of the Year, marking a defining moment in the global conversation around artificial intelligence. Announcing the decision on Thursday (December 11), Time said 2025 was the year when“AI's full potential roared into view”.

The Time magazine credited the innovators behind modern AI systems for“wowing and worrying humanity” while reshaping industries, societies and the future.

TIME unveils dual covers for 2025 Person of the Year

Time magazine has released two striking covers to accompany its announcement of the“Architects of AI” as the 2025 Person of the Year, each visually capturing the influence and ascent of the world's most powerful technology figures.

The first cover pays homage to the legendary 1932 photograph“Lunch atop a Skyscraper.” In this updated rendition, eight of the most influential leaders in artificial intelligence and Big Tech appear seated on a steel beam high above a city skyline. Among those depicted are Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Tesla and X owner Elon Musk, Nvidia chief Jensen Huang, OpenAI's Sam Altman, Google DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis, AMD CEO Lisa Su, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li.

The second cover features the same group of tech visionaries, this time positioned within a towering structure of scaffolding shaped to spell out“AI.” The imagery underscores the collective role these leaders play in building the architecture of modern artificial intelligence-both literally and metaphorically.

Why AI won the spotlight

Time said the recognition reflected how profoundly AI has transformed the present and expanded the bounds of what is possible.

The publication highlighted the sharp acceleration of AI capabilities this year, along with fears around safety, misinformation, job disruption and ethical use. For delivering“the age of thinking machines,” the architects driving these advancements were deemed the most influential of 2025.

The recognition reflects both the rapid advancements in AI technology and the profound effects these systems are having on industries, politics, creativity, security and everyday life.

The choice acknowledges the innovators and engineers behind the world's most powerful AI models-figures who have simultaneously inspired optimism and sparked fears over job disruption, misinformation and the future of human control.

The announcement comes after a year dominated by breakthroughs in generative AI, autonomous systems and large-scale deployments across governments and corporations. At the same time, experts and policymakers have raised growing questions around regulation, safety and risks, adding to public anxiety about how far and how fast AI is advancing.

Time's annual Person of the Year tradition dates back to 1927, recognising the individual or group that most influenced global events, for better or worse. This year's selection places artificial intelligence at the centre of the world stage-both as a force of innovation and as a defining challenge of the era.

Who was in contention

Prediction markets had placed several high-profile candidates in the running. These included AI itself, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, both key figures in the AI boom. Newly elected Pope Leo XIV - the first American pope - also featured among top contenders following the death of Pope Francis.

Political leaders such as US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani were also considered strong possibilities.

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Earlier this week, Time also rolled out its other major year-end accolades, naming WNBA standout A'ja Wilson as Athlete of the Year, Leonardo DiCaprio as Entertainer of the Year, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan as CEO of the Year, and the unexpected box-office smash KPop Demon Hunters as Breakthrough of the Year.

Also Read | Google DeepMind Will Open a Robotic AI Lab in the UK to Discover New Materials

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