TIME is weaving a broader mission to cover how AI is remaking the world, tracing long-standing coverage from Anthropic, Google, Nvidia, Waymo, robotic automation, and data-center dynamics as it expands its AI storytelling.

The publication aims to widen accessibility and accountability in AI journalism and plans to convene influential AI leaders internationally as part of its ongoing coverage.

The 2026 TIME100 AI list spans a broad spectrum of influence, naming figures from industry, government, labor, and culture such as Elon Musk, Dario Amodei, Larry Ellison, Yang Zhilin, Bernie Sanders, Liz Shuler, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Editors describe a rigorous selection process built on months of research, industry recommendations, and expert input to curate the 100 influential AI figures.

The event presenting the TIME100 AI effort is sponsored by Deloitte and supported by Booking.com and Cognizant.

In-depth interviews accompany the issue, featuring Mira Murati, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, and Daniel Nadler to illuminate diverse perspectives in AI.

The 2026 TIME100 AI list is unveiled as the annual recognition of the 100 most influential people in artificial intelligence.

The full 2026 TIME100 AI list is accessible at ti.me/100ai.

TIME frames the selection to reflect AI’s explosive and divided landscape, highlighting leaders, researchers, and policymakers shaping the field.

Sam Jacobs, TIME Editor-in-Chief, notes AI’s rapid, impactful, and sometimes divisive evolution, pointing to moments like public-market moves, policy debates, data-center pushes, and emerging models, alongside concerns from politicians and labor.

TIME100 Impact Dinner will take place on September 14 in San Francisco to spotlight list participants and other AI leaders, with discussions on AI’s cross-industry impact.

The coverage includes an inside look at OpenAI’s momentum through numerous interviews with OpenAI executives about regaining traction since ChatGPT’s 2022 debut.