With AI being in an era of rapid expansion, it can be hard to keep up.
Luckily, a number of individuals have stepped up as stalwarts of the sector.
AI safety has emerged as a major topic in the area. Yet it was CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman who got the conversation going after talking to a US Senate committee on the issue.
On the flipside, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella highlighted how AI copilots help people do more with less.
In appreciation of the role these individuals play, AI Magazine looks at the top 10 AI influencers leading the conversation.
10. Kai-Fu Lee
- Location: China
- Sector: Tech
Kai-Fu Lee, a renowned AI expert and venture capitalist, leads Sinovation Ventures and previously headed Google China. His influential book "AI Superpowers" has sparked global discussions on AI's societal impact. Kai-Fu’s extensive experience in AI research and development spans over three decades, including roles at Apple, Microsoft, and SGI. His insights on AI's future and its implications for society are highly regarded in both academic and business spheres, and his work on social media continues to inform the AI community.
09. Yoshua Bengio
- Location: Canada
- Sector: Education
Yoshua Bengio, a Full Professor at the Université de Montréal, heads the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms (MILA, where he has worked for over 30 years). His groundbreaking work on deep learning and neural networks has significantly advanced the field of AI, leading to him being named one of the ‘Godfathers’ of the technology. These contributions have laid the foundation for numerous breakthroughs in AI technology, influencing both academic research and practical applications across various industries.
08. Allie Miller
- Location: US
- Sector: Consulting
Allie Miller, a prominent AI advisor and investor, previously served as Global Head of Machine Learning Business Development for Startups and Venture Capital at AWS. Her experience includes key roles at IBM, where she was the youngest woman to develop an AI product. Allie’s expertise spans AI trends and emerging technologies, making her a valuable consultant for top machine learning researchers and founders. Her insights and guidance continue to shape the direction of AI innovation in the startup ecosystem.
07. Fei-Fei Li
- Location: US
- Sector: Education
Fei-Fei Li, Sequoia Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University, co-directs the Stanford Human-Centered AI Institute. Her work on computer vision, particularly ImageNet, the dataset that enabled rapid advances in computer vision in the 2010s, has significantly advanced AI capabilities. Alongside advocating for diversity and ethics in AI development, Fei-Fei’s research focuses on creating algorithms for visual content understanding. Her achievements have garnered global recognition, including the ACM Prize in Computing, as well as the 2023 Intel Lifetime Achievements Award.
06. Yann LeCun
- Location: US
- Sector: Tech
Yann LeCun, VP and Chief AI Scientist at Meta and long-time Professor at New York University, is a pioneer in convolutional neural networks and deep learning. His work has been crucial in advancing AI technologies for image and speech recognition. Yann’s research has significantly influenced the development of modern AI systems, with platforms like Google Images and voice enabled systems like Alexa benefitting. His contributions continue to shape the direction of AI research and applications across various domains.
05. Demis Hassabis
- Location: UK
- Sector: Research
Demis Hassabis, Co-Founder and CEO of DeepMind, leads one of the world's foremost AI research labs. Under his guidance, DeepMind has achieved remarkable milestones, including the development of AlphaFold, which solved the 50-year grand challenge of protein structure prediction. Demis focuses on creating AI systems capable of solving complex problems and advancing scientific understanding. With DeepMind being acquired by Google, His work aims to push the boundaries of AI capabilities, exploring new frontiers in machine learning and artificial general intelligence.
04. Andrew Ng
- Location: US
- Sector: Education
Andrew Ng, Founder of DeepLearning.AI and Adjunct Professor at Stanford University where he directs the AI lab. Andrew co-founded and led the AI-dedicated Google Brain project, and his work has since significantly advanced deep learning technologies. As a prominent educator and thought leader in AI, he is known for his contributions to online education and efforts to democratise AI knowledge. Ng's initiatives continue to make AI education more accessible to a global audience.
03. Mustafa Suleyman
- Location: US
- Sector: Tech
Mustafa Suleyman, Co-founder of DeepMind and current CEO of Microsoft AI, has played a pivotal role in developing groundbreaking AI technologies. At DeepMind, he contributed to significant achievements like AlphaGo, the first programme to beat the world champion at the game of Go. Mustafa’s current focus is on creating ethical AI systems that benefit society. In his current role, he continues to drive innovation in AI while emphasising the importance of responsible and beneficial AI development.
02. Bernard Marr
- Location: UK
- Sector: Author
Bernard Marr is a renowned futurist and thought leader in business and technology. Born in Germany, he later moved to Cambridge, England, where he completed degrees in business, engineering and IT. Bernard is a best-selling author, producing tens of books, including "Generative AI in Practice" and he regularly contributes to Forbes and the World Economic Forum with his insights. As a strategic advisor, he has worked with organisations such as IBM, Microsoft, and the United Nations, specialising in future trends, digital transformation, and the intelligent use of data and AI in business. His expertise spans Big Data, AI, and performance management, bridging complex technological concepts with practical business applications. With a Linkedin following of over 1.5m, the platform ranked him one of the top five business influencers globally. His work aims to leverage technology for the betterment of humanity, making him a pivotal figure in the ongoing digital revolution.
01. Aishwarya Srinivasan
- Location: US
- Sector: Consulting
Aishwarya Srinivasan is a Senior AI Advisor at Microsoft for Startups, where she aids them in crafting AI product strategies and utilising Microsoft/OpenAI products. Previously, she served as a Data Scientist at Google Cloud AI Services and as an AI & ML Innovation Leader at IBM Data & AI, focusing on AI use cases and machine learning solutions. Aishwarya is the founder of Illuminate AI, a non-profit providing resources and mentorship in AI, where she utilises her expertise in AI product development, cloud computing, and data science applications across various industries. With a career that includes time at some of the world’s largest consulting companies, from EY and Tata, she is well equipped to communicate to the business world. Thus, she works to advocate for open-source technologies, and it's her continued work in areas like this, alongside AI, that saw her recognised as a LinkedIn Top Voice in 2020.
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