Time magazine has selected the architects of artificial intelligence as its 2025 Person of the Year, underscoring how the rapid advancement of the technology has shaped global conversations and decision making. Rather than honoring a single figure, the issue focuses on a group of leaders and innovators whose work has driven the development and deployment of artificial intelligence systems across industries. The cover story includes interviews with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Baidu CEO Robin Li, reflecting the mix of corporate and governmental actors steering the field.
In a letter explaining the choice, Time editor in chief Sam Jacobs wrote that no one had a greater impact on individuals this year than those who created artificial intelligence. He said, “This was the year when artificial intelligence’s full potential roared into view, and when it became clear that there will be no turning back or opting out,” framing 2025 as an inflection point in public awareness and adoption. Jacobs described artificial intelligence as a force that has dominated headlines and has both impressed and unsettled the public, stating that for delivering an age of “thinking machines,” for “wowing and worrying humanity,” and for “transforming the present and transcending the possible,” the architects of artificial intelligence are Time’s 2025 Person of the Year.
The Person of the Year issue features two alternate covers to visually represent this shift. One shows builders on scaffolding constructing the letters “AI,” symbolizing the ongoing work of designing and refining artificial intelligence systems. The other presents several technology leaders sitting on a steel beam above a cityscape in an image that echoes a famous 1932 photograph of construction workers on a beam, linking today’s digital transformation to past industrial eras. The edition goes on sale beginning Dec. 19 and also includes separate honors: YouTube CEO Neal Mohan as CEO of the Year, Leonardo DiCaprio as Entertainer of the Year, A’ja Wilson as Athlete of the Year, and KPop Demon Hunters as Breakthrough of the Year, highlighting influential figures across business, entertainment, sports and emerging culture.