Time Magazine’s Person of the Year for 2025 is not a single person.
Instead, the magazine has given its annual award recognising the year’s most influential figure to “the architects” of artificial intelligence (AI).
Nvidia boss Jensen Huang, Meta head Mark Zuckerberg, X owner Elon Musk and AI “godmother” Fei-Fei Li are among those depicted on one of the magazine’s two covers.
Experts say it highlights how quickly AI, and the firms behind it, are reshaping society.
It comes as a boom in the technology, ushered in by OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, continues at pace.
The firm said in September its chatbot is used by around 700 million people every week.
Big tech firms are pouring billions of dollars into AI and the infrastructure behind it in a bid to stay ahead of rivals.
Forrester analyst Thomas Husson said 2025 could be seen as a “tipping point” for how frequently AI is now used in our day-to-day lives.
“Most consumers use it without even being aware of it,” he told the BBC.
He said AI is now being crammed into hardware, software and services – meaning it its uptake is “much faster than during the Internet or mobile revolutions”.
Some people now choose chatbots over search engines and social media to plan holidays, find Christmas gifts and discover recipes.
Others, such as those worried about its energy use, training data and impact on their livelihoods, are opting-out entirely.
Nik Kairinos, founder and chief executive of lab Fountech AI, said the honour was “an honest assessment” of the tech’s influence, but he felt “recognition should not be confused with readiness”.
“At this moment, AI can still be a saviour or scourge to humanity,” he said.
“We are still in the early stages of building AI systems that are dependable, accountable, and aligned with human values.
“For those of us developing the technology and bringing AI tools to market, there is huge responsibility.”
