Anil Kapoor has been named on TIME Magazine's list of "100 Most Influential People in AI", released on September 5, 2024, while Elon Musk has not!
Kapoor, who was the first to sue and win a legal case against the unauthorized use of his likeness through AI, was joined by Scarlett Johansson, similarly profiled for her effort in fighting deepfake abuse of her voice. This list also included Google's Chief Executive Officer, Sundar Pichai, for his contribution to AI at Google.
Noticeably absent Elon Musk from the list, the driving force behind Neuralink and Tesla, two of the largest companies involved in AI, raises questions.
Critics immediately pounced on the fact that Musk's absence from the listing ignored the large role he had already played in pioneering the technology behind AI-from self-driving cars to sounding the alarm on its potential dangers. That has now turned into a hot debate on TIME's criteria and how influence is determined within the AI sphere.
It has been reported in connection with the fact that Musk's Starlink is also facing legal obstacles in Brazil. The Supreme Court has banned X, previously Twitter, throughout the nation due to its non-compliance with laws on the protection of personal data backed by President Lula da Silva. That ban has factored into Starlink agreeing to block access to X in Brazil, adding more questions to Musk's projects. Read more
TIME magazine responded to its critics by stating that the list was very diverse, adding 91 new entries in an AI landscape that is constantly changing. Further emphasizing that the list is about influential voices spanning across sectors and parts of the world and not about technology leaders only. Meanwhile, social media continues to remain sharply divided as some take TIME to task for opting for celebrities against big dreamers in tech while others believe that the exclusion of Musk did it as a publicity stunt to get people talking.
The fact that Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, had been left out of TIME magazine's listing of "100 Most Influential People in AI" has continued to raise many eyebrows. Many have questioned the intentions in selections and the criteria of the magazine for defining influence within the AI sector.