Time Magazine puts Musk and Zuckerberg on the cover of ‘Person of the Year’
USA TODAY’s Melina Kahn details why Time magazine focused on artificial intelligence and its leaders as its 2025 Person of the Year.
Time magazine named the “Architect of AI” its 2025 Person of the Year.
The magazine said it chose to recognize the profound impact of artificial intelligence across society, from the media to politics to the workforce.
“This year was the year when the full potential of artificial intelligence was realized, and it became clear that there was no turning back or opting out. Whatever the question, AI was the answer,” said Sam Jacobs, editor-in-chief of Time magazine.
One of the two magazine covers in the publication’s People of the Year issue features technology leaders such as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
Time magazine’s annual Person of the Year selection is a tradition dating back to 1927. Over the years, the magazine has recognized celebrities, activists, politicians and other notable figures with this award. Last year, President Donald Trump earned the title shortly after his presidential election. We also received an award in 2016.
See Time 2025 Person of the Year: “Architect of AI”
Time magazine said AI will “change the world in 2025” in “new, exciting, and sometimes frightening ways.”
The magazine also called AI “the most important tool in great power competition since the advent of nuclear weapons.”
“For his work ushering in the age of thinking machines, surprising and alarming humanity, transforming the present and surpassing the possible, the architect of AI has been named TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year,” Jacobs wrote.
The cover of the magazine’s 2025 Person of the Year includes an illustration with the word “AI” and a drawing reminiscent of the 1932 photo “Lunch at the Top of a Skyscraper.”
This painting by Jason Seiler features technology leaders Mark Zuckerberg, Lisa Su, Elon Musk, Jensen Huang, Sam Altman, Demis Hassabis, Dario Amodei, and Feifei Li.
As this year’s selections demonstrate, this year’s Person of the Year doesn’t have to be an individual.
In 2006, the magazine similarly recognized advances in technology and named you as Person of the Year, reflecting the emergence of online communities.
Melina Khan is USA TODAY’s national trends reporter. Contact her at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
