Time Magazine’s decision to omit tech mogul Elon Musk from its “100 Most Influential People in AI” list has sparked controversy and criticism from social media users and industry experts alike.
The New York Post reports that Time has released its second annual “100 Most Influential People in AI” list, which notably excludes tech titan and artificial intelligence advocate Elon Musk. The magazine’s 2024 cover, a composite image featuring 18 AI leaders, prominently showcases actress Scarlett Johansson alongside Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and other industry luminaries.
The glaring absence of Musk, who launched xAI last summer and whose chatbot, Grok, has been gaining traction against competitors like ChatGPT, has raised eyebrows and drawn criticism from various quarters. Musk’s contributions to the field of AI are well-documented, with his companies, including Tesla making significant strides in AI and self-driving technology, respectively.
Time’s decision to snub Musk has led to an uproar on social media platforms, with many users questioning the magazine’s credibility and impartiality. One user on X (formerly Twitter) stated, “Every person on this top 100 list if asked would say Elon should be on this list,” while another called the omission proof of Time’s “bias and lack of integrity” and “their personal vendetta against him.”
The inclusion of actress Scarlett Johansson, who recently clashed with OpenAI over the alleged use of her voice to train a chatbot without her permission, has also raised questions about the criteria used to compile the list. Other unexpected entries, such as Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor and YouTuber Marques Brownlee, have further fueled the controversy.
Time’s ownership by Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, whose company has heavily invested in AI startup Anthropic through a $500 million AI fund, has also come under scrutiny. While the magazine includes disclosures for companies backed by Salesforce Ventures, some have suggested that this connection may have influenced the list’s composition.
Editor in Chief Sam Jacobs emphasized the rapidly evolving nature of the AI field, noting that 91 of the members on the 2024 list were not present on the previous year’s list. He stated, “This year’s list offers examples of the possibilities for AI when it moves out of the lab and into the world.”
Read more at the New York Post here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
