AI is the next frontier of human evolution, without a doubt. So those who lead the field are invariably - either directly or indirectly - the architects of the next phase of human civilisation.
The following AI leaders have made significant contributions to the field of AI, from developing new algorithms and models to exploring the social and ethical implications of AI.
Their work has had a major impact on current fields, the current ChatGPT, and the establishment of all AI-based tools powered by Openai.
They have been recognised with numerous accolades, including the Turing Award, Time's 100 most influential people, and MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35.
Their leadership and expertise continue to shape the future of AI and its impact on society.
10: Alex Smola
Organisation: Boson.ai
Position: CEO and Co-founder
Alex Smola, Co-founder and CEO of Boson.ai, computer scientist and former professor at Carnegie Mellon University, is celebrated for his expertise in machine learning and optimisation. His algorithms exhibit remarkable efficiency in analysing vast datasets. Smola's contributions extend to developing AI technologies for drug discovery and complex system understanding. His groundbreaking work has earned him recognition as one of MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35. Alex Smola continues to drive advancements in the field, harnessing the power of machine learning to unlock new frontiers and empower scientific exploration.
9: Geoffrey Hinton
Organisation: University of Toronto
Position: Professor and research scientist
Geoffrey Hinton, a pioneering computer scientist at the University of Toronto, is renowned for his deep learning and neural network breakthroughs. His algorithms achieve exceptional image recognition. As a Vector Institute co-founder, Hinton drives ethical and beneficial AI advancements. He has received prestigious accolades, including the Rumelhart Prize, IJCAI Award for Research Excellence, Herzberg Canada Gold Medal, BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award, Turing Award, and Princess of Asturias Award. Hinton is a Fellow of the Royal Society and foreign member of the National Academy of Engineering.
8: Ruslan Salakhutdinov
Organisation: Carnegie Mellon University
Position: Professor and Advisor
Ruslan Salakhutdinov is a computer scientist and professor at Carnegie Mellon University, and Advisor at Felix Smart Inc. He is known for his work in deep learning and machine learning, and he has developed algorithms that can recognise and understand natural language. Salakhutdinov has also worked on developing AI technologies that can help scientists discover new materials and understand complex systems. He has been named one of MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35.
7: Jeremy Howard
Organisation: fast.ai
Position: Founder and researcher
Jeremy Howard is a data scientist and entrepreneur who is known for his work in deep learning and machine learning. He is the founder of fast.ai, an online education platform that offers courses in AI and other subjects. Howard has also worked on developing AI technologies that can help diagnose medical conditions and predict patient outcomes. He has been named one of Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business, and continues to contribute to the field.
6: Yann LeCun
Organisation: Meta
Position: VP and Chief AI Scientist
Yann LeCun is a computer scientist and professor at New York University. He is known for his work in deep learning and computer vision, and he has developed algorithms that can recognise and classify images with high accuracy. LeCun is also the director of AI research at Meta (Facebook), where he oversees the company's efforts to develop AI technologies. He has received numerous awards for his work in AI, including the Turing Award, which is the highest honour in computer science.
5: Ian Goodfellow
Organisation: DeepMind
Position: Research Scientist
Ian Goodfellow,, a research scientist at DeepMind and former Apple Director, revolutionised AI as the co-inventor of generative adversarial networks (GANs). These powerful algorithms enable lifelike image and video generation. With expertise in computer vision and natural language processing, Goodfellow's impact is far-reaching. Recognised with MIT Technology Review's 'Innovators Under 35' award, he pushes the boundaries of AI, redefining its possibilities. Goodfellow's legacy continues to inspire, leaving an indelible mark on the field.
4: Demis Hassabis
Organisation: DeepMind
Position: Founder & CEO
Demis Hassabis is co-founder and CEO of DeepMind, spearheading a pioneering company at the forefront of AI technology. Renowned for his expertise in reinforcement learning and game AI, Hassabis has garnered acclaim for creating algorithms capable of achieving superhuman performance in games such as chess and Go. Hassabis’ contributions extend to the realm of scientific exploration, where he has focused on developing AI technologies to aid in the discovery of novel drugs and unravelling intricate biological systems. He has been honoured as one of Time's 100 most influential individuals and continues to revolutionise the field of artificial intelligence.
3: Andrej Karpathy
Organisation: Tesla, OpenAI
Position: Senior Director of AI at Tesla (former)
Andrej Karpathy is the former senior director of AI at Tesla, where he lead the company's efforts to develop self-driving cars. He is known for his work in computer vision and deep learning, and has made significant contributions to the development of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and recurrent neural networks (RNNs). Karpathy has also worked on developing algorithms that can generate natural language descriptions of images. He has been named one of MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35.
2: Fei-Fei Li
Organisation: Stanford university
Position: Sequoia Professor of Computer Science
Fei-Fei Li, a computer scientist and professor at Stanford University, is widely recognised for her expertise in computer vision and machine learning. Her significant contributions to the field involve developing advanced algorithms capable of recognising and comprehending visual content. Alongside her academic pursuits, Li serves as the co-director of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAI), an institution dedicated to fostering the development of AI technologies that uphold ethical standards, transparency, and societal benefits. Her remarkable achievements have garnered global attention, leading to her inclusion as one of Foreign Policy's Global Thinkers. In acknowledgment of her outstanding contributions, Li has received numerous accolades, including the prestigious ACM Prize in Computing. With her pioneering work in AI, Fei-Fei Li continues to shape the future of computer science and push the boundaries of technological advancement.
1: Andrew Ng
Organisation: Landing AI
Position: Founder and CEO
Andrew Ng is a computer scientist and entrepreneur who is widely recognised as one of the world's leading experts in artificial intelligence. He is the founder of deeplearning.ai and the co-founder of Coursera, an online education platform that offers courses in AI and other subjects. Ng is also a former vice president and chief scientist at Baidu, where he led the company's AI research efforts. Some of his most well-known work as one of the top AI Leaders include his Autonomous Helicopter Project at Stanford and the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Robot project, which ended up producing an open-source robotics software platform that is widely used today. The Google brain project, which he founded in 2011, used artificial neural networks that were trained using deep learning. Ng has been named one of Time's 100 most influential people.
