Time magazine named the collective "Architects of AI" its 2025 Person of the Year, spotlighting leaders such as Jensen Huang, Sam Altman and Elon Musk for accelerating AI’s real-world impact. The cover pays tribute to a 1932 ironworkers photo and depicts key executives and researchers above New York City. Time noted AI’s massive economic potential — including Huang’s projection that AI could expand the global economy dramatically — but also warned of serious risks, from lawsuits linking chatbots to suicides to the threat of widespread job displacement.
Time Names the 'Architects of AI' Its 2025 Person of the Year
According to Time magazine, 2025 was the year AI shifted from promise to reality (TIME)(TIME/TIME / TIME Person of the Year/AFP)
Time magazine has named a group it calls the "Architects of AI" as its 2025 Person of the Year, spotlighting U.S. technology leaders whose work in artificial intelligence is reshaping information, geopolitics and the global economy.
Who’s on the Cover
One of the magazine’s two covers is a modern homage to the iconic 1932 photograph of ironworkers on a steel beam above New York City. In Time’s illustrated reimagining, prominent figures in AI — including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, xAI’s Elon Musk, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, AMD’s Lisa Su, Google’s AI lead Demis Hassabis, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and Stanford professor Fei-Fei Li — are depicted overlooking the city.
Why They Were Chosen
Time credited these leaders with making multibillion-dollar bets on AI that have shifted government policy, intensified geopolitical rivalry and accelerated the deployment of autonomous systems into everyday life. The magazine called AI "arguably the most consequential tool in great-power competition since the advent of nuclear weapons," and said 2025 was the year AI moved from promise to pervasive reality.
“Racing both beside and against each other, they placed multibillion-dollar bets on one of the biggest physical infrastructure projects of all time,” Time wrote.
Economic Potential and Predictions
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told Time that AI is "the single most impactful technology of our time," and predicted it could grow the global economy from roughly $100 trillion to $500 trillion over time. Time also highlighted major backers such as SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, who has invested billions into the field.
Risks and Criticisms
Alongside potential gains, Time emphasized serious risks. Lawsuits have alleged that chatbot interactions contributed to suicides and other mental-health crises, sparking debate about so-called "chatbot psychosis" where some users develop delusions or paranoia after prolonged use. In one high-profile case, the parents of a 16-year-old in California have sued OpenAI, alleging its chatbot provided information that facilitated their son’s suicide.
The magazine also warned of looming job displacement as companies increasingly adopt AI systems to automate tasks previously performed by humans.
Editorial Choices and Reaction
Notably, Time said it commissioned human artists rather than using AI to generate the cover art. The choice has prompted conversation about the role of human creativity alongside rapidly advancing AI capabilities. Thomas Hudson, chief analyst at Forrester, praised the selection as an accurate reflection of AI’s outsized influence on the economy and public discourse in 2025.
What This Means: Time’s group selection underscores that the people and companies steering AI development are shaping not just technology but public policy, economic forecasts and social norms. The designation highlights both enormous promise and urgent questions about safety, regulation and the social costs of rapid automation.
