Reconstruction of the Global AI Influence Landscape: Insights into the Future Landscape from TIME's 100 Most Influential People in AI
On August 28th, Time magazine released the 2025 "TIME100 AI" list.
This global list of figures in the field of artificial intelligence has reached its third edition. Since its inception, it has attracted much attention because it is not only a collection of influential figures but also a unique window to observe global technological forces, industrial trends, and governance trends.
What is particularly striking about this year's list is the increasing number of Chinese faces: Professor Xue Lan, the Dean of Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University and the Dean of the Institute for International Governance of Artificial Intelligence, was included for the first time. Ren Zhengfei, the founder of Huawei, also made the list. In addition, there are Liang Wenfeng, the CEO of DeepSeek, Wang Xingxing, the CEO of Unitree Robotics, Peng Jun, the CEO of Pony.ai. There is also Fei-Fei Li, a professor at Stanford University who has long been active in the international academic and industrial circles, and Alexandr Wang, the Chief AI Officer of Meta.
If the previous two lists were more like a stage for Silicon Valley and San Francisco, then this year's list is undoubtedly more diverse and global.
What this list reflects is not just the accumulation of individual honors but a dynamic reconstruction of the global influence pattern of artificial intelligence. This article will attempt to interpret the logic behind the composition of the TIME100 AI list, analyze the star figures and key forces in it, and explore China's position and future trends in the global artificial intelligence landscape in combination with the rise of Chinese faces.
Image source | Time magazine
The Logic Behind the List: Four Roles and Global Co - governance
Different from traditional "rich lists" or "technology lists", the selection logic of TIME100 AI is not simply based on wealth or company market value. Instead, it attempts to present the multi - dimensional influence in the field of artificial intelligence.
According to Time's explanation, this year's list still follows the four - category division of "Leaders", "Innovators", "Shapers", and "Thinkers". This framework has a narrative meaning: The future of artificial intelligence will not be simply driven by technological progress but will be jointly shaped by a group of people who play roles at different levels.
Among the "Leaders", entrepreneurs and leaders of multinational companies remain the mainstay. Familiar names such as Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Jensen Huang, and Mark Zuckerberg appear again. They represent the integration ability of capital, computing power, and global resources and are the top - level driving force for the industrial ecosystem.
"Innovators" emphasize breakthroughs in technology and application. This includes researchers promoting multi - modal large models and entrepreneurs in vertical fields such as healthcare, education, and robotics. Their stories are often closely related to laboratories and are transformed into products that can reach society through capital and the market.
"Shapers" are a more subtle category. They may not be the ones directly writing code or releasing products, but they shape the boundaries of artificial intelligence development through institutional design, policy advocacy, and ethical reflection. The significance of Fei - Fei Li, the "godmother of AI", at this level cannot be ignored. In addition to her technological contributions, she is also a leader advocating STEM and AI diversity.
The role of "Thinkers" returns to academia and humanities. Through theoretical research, value criticism, and interdisciplinary insights, they provide reflection and philosophical support for artificial intelligence. Xue Lan's inclusion is a representative of this category. What he focuses on is not a specific technology but how artificial intelligence can be combined with social governance and international rules and how to achieve "good governance" globally.
This four - role division shows that the influence of artificial intelligence is not one - dimensional. Its future depends not only on the in - depth advancement of the industrial chain but also on cross - border collaboration and governance wisdom.
Image source | Pixabay
Global AI "Superstars": Resource, Capital, and Standard Setters
Looking through the list, it is still not difficult to find some familiar "superstars". Most of them are from Silicon Valley in the United States and are the core allocators of capital and resources in the artificial intelligence industry.
Elon Musk, through xAI, links artificial intelligence with autonomous driving, Starlink, and even Mars exploration, forming a highly imaginative technological landscape.
Sam Altman continues to lead the development direction of large models through OpenAI. ChatGPT has become not just a product but a global public discussion symbol.
Jensen Huang's presence is particularly crucial. As the leader of NVIDIA, he firmly controls the global production supply chain of high - performance GPUs, and computing power is the "oil" for the current development of artificial intelligence. To some extent, his business decisions and product iterations directly determine the pace of large - model training.
The commonalities of these figures are very obvious.
First, they control the core of resource allocation - whether it is computing power, capital, or data, it is concentrated in the hands of these giants.
Second, they have a strong technological driving force and can often define industry standards through products.
Third, they have global competitiveness and can navigate well in the game of policies, markets, and geopolitics. In other words, these superstars are not only entrepreneurs but also institutional participants and standard setters in the artificial intelligence ecosystem.
However, compared with the previous two lists, this year's list of "superstars" is no longer dominated by a single group. The emergence of new forces, especially faces from Asia and Europe, has quietly changed the focus of the list.
The Rise of Chinese Faces: All - around Breakthroughs from Industry to Governance
The most notable change in this year's list is the significant increase in Chinese faces, and many are on the list for the first time.
The significance of Ren Zhengfei's inclusion is self - evident. In the past few years, Huawei's breakthroughs in high - performance AI chips have been regarded as a symbol of China's technological autonomy. The performance of Ascend 910C is considered comparable to NVIDIA's H100, which is an important sign of China's substantial progress in the "neck - choking" field. Ren Zhengfei's strategic vision has enabled Huawei not only to maintain its advantage in the communication field but also to gain a foothold in the hardware foundation of artificial intelligence.
In contrast, the inclusion of Liang Wenfeng, Wang Xingxing, and Peng Jun represents the rise of China's emerging startups. The rapid growth of DeepSeek shows China's strong catching - up momentum in the field of large models and generative AI. Unitree Robotics has gradually attracted the attention of the international market in the field of bionic robots, and Pony.ai is a representative enterprise in the autonomous driving track. These names may not have the same international popularity as Musk or Altman, but their emergence shows that Chinese AI enterprises are shifting from followers to those running side - by - side or even leading.
What is even more worthy of attention is Xue Lan's inclusion. His research focuses on AI governance and public policy, an issue that has received increasing attention in recent years. As the influence of artificial intelligence technology grows, international competition and cooperation have also intensified. How to reach a consensus on security, privacy, ethics, and rules has become a global challenge. Xue Lan's voice means that China is starting to have a say in this governance agenda. This may have a more long - term impact on China's international status in AI than a single technological breakthrough.
In addition, the presence of Fei - Fei Li and Alexandr Wang shows the trans - national characteristics of the Chinese force. They have been active in the academic and business circles for a long time and are bridges for cross - cultural and cross - institutional exchanges. The HAI (Human - Centered AI) concept promoted by Fei - Fei Li has had an impact on policy - making in Europe and the United States. Alexandr Wang serves as the Chief AI Officer of Meta and is at the strategic forefront of a core Silicon Valley enterprise.
The emergence of these Chinese figures not only enriches the faces on the list but also forms a new map of China's AI influence: there are entrepreneurs represented by Ren Zhengfei, governance experts represented by Xue Lan, entrepreneurs like Liang Wenfeng and Wang Xingxing, and trans - national elites like Fei - Fei Li and Alexandr Wang. This diversity is the key sign of China's AI evolving from following to shaping.
Image source | Pexels
Cross - border Integration: The Social Dimension of Artificial Intelligence
The influence of artificial intelligence has far exceeded technology itself. Another feature of this year's list is the large number of cross - border roles.
Cynthia Breazeal from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology began researching the topic of "human - AI coexistence" when she was a doctoral student at MIT in 2000. In 2012, she founded Jibo, a social robot company, dedicated to providing users with a comfortable and safe social AI companion.
Jibo was hailed as the "first home social robot" (it won Time magazine's Best Invention Award). The company received more than $70 million in six rounds of financing and was successfully acquired by NTT Corporation in 2020. Her inclusion reminds us that the development of AI is not just about algorithm iteration but also about reshaping social forms and human capabilities.
In addition, there are medical data scientist Jeff Leek and leading figure in natural language processing Yejin Choi on the list. They represent the application frontiers of artificial intelligence in healthcare and language understanding. In other words, the influence of artificial intelligence has penetrated into multiple dimensions such as education, healthcare, culture, and art, forming a cross - disciplinary and cross - industrial integration trend.
This cross - border trend has far - reaching significance. It shows that the future evaluation criteria for the influence of artificial intelligence will no longer be limited to technological breakthroughs but will depend on how it creates practical value at the social level. Those who can promote the combination of AI and education, apply AI to public health, and formulate reasonable ethical frameworks for AI may become future "100 AI People".
China's Global Positioning in AI: From Following to Co - building
Through this list, we can clearly see China's new position in the global AI ecosystem.
First, there are breakthroughs at the hardware level. Huawei's progress in the chip field has given China some confidence in the computing power battle. This is not only a matter of corporate competitiveness but also related to the autonomy of the country's science and technology strategy.
In addition, the growth of startups has also presented an impressive result to the world. Whether it is DeepSeek's large model, Unitree Robotics' bionic robots, or Pony.ai's autonomous driving, it shows that Chinese AI enterprises are gradually being recognized in the international market. This recognition comes not only from the capital market but also from the evaluation of technical peers.
Second, the activity of trans - national talents. Fei - Fei Li, Alexandr Wang and others prove that Chinese scholars and entrepreneurs are playing a bridging role on the global AI stage. This cross - cultural presence makes China's AI not isolated but embedded in the global ecosystem.
The most important point is the improvement of China's governance voice. Xue Lan's inclusion means that Chinese scholars are starting to be included in the core circle of global AI governance discussions. This is of great significance for China to gain the initiative in future international negotiations.
This transformation is not achieved overnight but is the result of long - term accumulation. The appearance of the list is just a concentrated manifestation.
Image source | Pixabay
Future Trends: From Technological Competition to Governance Game
From the list, we can also see several future trends in the development of artificial intelligence.
First, technological competition will remain fierce. Fields such as large models, multi - modality, and chips will still be the focus of competition in the next few years. Those who can master computing power will lead in technological iteration.
Governance issues will also become increasingly important. Whether it is data security, algorithm bias, or international regulatory cooperation, governance issues cannot be avoided. Governments, enterprises, and academia around the world need to form a new balance, and this balance will determine whether artificial intelligence can achieve sustainable development.
Next, the speed of cross - border integration will accelerate. Fields such as education, healthcare, energy, and art will all become key directions for artificial intelligence applications. AI will no longer be a "lofty" technology but an infrastructure deeply integrated into social life.
Global cooperation and competition will coexist, and diversity and inclusiveness will become the keywords. The figures on the list include leaders of multinational companies and founders of startups. Large companies and small companies, developed countries and developing countries will all find their own positions in the wave of artificial intelligence. This multi - polar pattern will determine the future structure of AI development.
This year's list covers more female scholars, entrepreneurs with trans - national backgrounds, and representatives from developing countries. This diversity not only reflects the vastness of the AI ecosystem but also provides a more diverse perspective for future technology governance.
The 2025 TIME100 AI list is not just a list of figures but a map of global artificial intelligence influence. It shows us that from Silicon Valley giants to Chinese entrepreneurs, from governance thinkers to education experts, from academic pioneers to entrepreneur groups, the future of artificial intelligence is jointly shaped by diverse forces.
The concentrated emergence of Chinese faces means that China is no longer just a bystander but an active participant and promoter. Whether it is Ren Zhengfei's hardware breakthroughs, Xue Lan's governance voice, or the innovative practices of entrepreneurs like Liang Wenfeng, they jointly form a new Chinese force. The emergence of this force is not only related to the transformation of the country's science and technology strategy but also to the reconstruction of the global artificial intelligence governance pattern.
The future of artificial intelligence will not be determined by a single person or a single company but will be jointly promoted by countless "100 people" around the world. Each name on the list is a microcosm of the present. Starting from this list, the future picture we see is clear: technology will continue to evolve, governance will be continuously promoted, social value will become increasingly prominent, and global co - governance will gradually become possible.
In this context, China's role will be even more important. It needs to catch up and make breakthroughs in technology, voice its opinions and make contributions in governance, and show the image of a responsible major country through trans - national cooperation. In other words, the future of China's AI is not just a national science and technology story but a part of the global artificial intelligence co - governance process.
This is exactly what the TIME100 AI list reminds us: The future of artificial intelligence does not belong to any one party but is a common destiny issue for all mankind.
References
TIME: The 100 Most Influencial People in AI 2025.
TIME: TIME Reveals the 2