Ashwini Vaishnaw, Anil Kapoor in TIME list of Indians shaping AI

Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor were among the Indians recognized in Time magazine’s 2024 list of the 100 Most Influential People in AI.

The list features prominent names in AI, taking into account various industries, regions, and viewpoints, with the honorees ranging from 15-year-old American activist Francesca Mani, and 77-year-old Chinese computer scientist Andrew Yao. 

Here are the most prominent Indians in the field of AI, according to Time magazine:

Ashwini Vaishnaw:

“India—the world’s fifth largest economy—is trying to become a major player in the world of AI. The country’s electronics and information technology minister, Aishwini Vaishnaw, leads its efforts,” stated the magazine. 

Although the country is yet to implement binding AI legislation, it has spent the past year leading the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, a worldwide initiative aimed at helping countries regulate AI effectively. 

In its role as chair, India organized the Global IndiaAI Summit in July, which drew over 2,000 AI professionals, including top executives from OpenAI and Microsoft, along with representatives from more than 50 nations, where Vaishnaw highlighted the importance of making technology accessible to everyone by “democratizing” it, said the magazine. 

Much of the country’s AI development, to which the government has committed more than $1.2 billion, is directed through the “IndiaAI” program, overseen by Vaishnaw’s ministry. 

Anil Kapoor: 

Joining the league of actors battling to keep their likeness protected from AI, Anil Kapoor won a landmark case in a New Delhi court and successfully blocked the non-consensual use of his AI likeness, after the court ruled in his favor and prohibited 16 defendants from using his name, image, voice, or persona for any purpose. 

The actor who is widely recognized for his roles in films like Slumdog Millionaire and Dil Dhadakne Do, filed the case after distorted videos and clips of his famous phrases with his image were being circulated online. 

“Every actor has the right to protect themselves,” Kapoor had told Variety.

Nandan Nilekani: 

With his new project titled Adbhut India, Nandan Nilekani, billionaire co-founder of Infosys, is trying to harness the power of AI in a country where most of the population cannot read or write. 

“Like many other tech billionaires, Nilekani, 69, is optimistic about AI’s potential, but has thoughts on how to ensure the technology’s rewards are distributed widely,” stated the magazine.

Nilekani has spent 15 years building India’s digital infrastructure, both in government and the private sector, the magazine said, and his nonprofit venture is aimed at creating public infrastructure that helps developers meet India-specific needs in the world of AI. 

Sunder Pichai:

The AI surge that began in late 2022 with OpenAI, forced Google to play catch up with industry advancements that were rapidly shaping the field. Pichai, Google’s chief executive since 2015, and his belief in being the best, however, remained steadfast, said the magazine. In fact, it was Pichai who had declared Google an “AI first” company all the way back in 2016. 

“Google wasn’t the first to build a search engine, he points out, but was the first to build one good enough to attract the lion’s share of the market. The same for browsers. Email. Maps. His point: it matters less whether Google is first, and more that its version is the best,” the magazine stated. 

Satya Nadella: 

The Microsoft chief executive is steering the tech giant towards an AI revolution. 

Under his leadership, the company made its first $1 billion investment in the relatively unknown AI lab OpenAI, all the way back in 2019. That partnership has since grown into a $13 billion profit-sharing deal, the magazine said. 

OpenAI turned to Microsoft for help with artificial general intelligence (AGI), relying on its cloud computing expertise, an area Nadella developed into a global powerhouse before taking over as CEO.

“Nadella has also proven himself to be a shrewd corporate maneuverer. When OpenAI’s board briefly fired Sam Altman in late 2023, Nadella offered all OpenAI employees jobs at his own company, essentially neutralizing the board’s threat and clearing the way for Altman’s return,” said the magazine. 

Rohit Prasad:

Promoted to lead a new AI team at Amazon just last year, Rohit Prasad, formerly the head scientist of Alexa, was a key element in Amazon’s efforts to intensify its AGI development. 

To bolster his team, Prasad hired several leaders from the AI startup Adept and acquired a license to use some of its technology, said the magazine. 

While Amazon may be behind competitors like Microsoft and Google in the large language model race, the company aims to leverage its substantial resources to build a powerful large language model (LLM). 

Prasad emphasizes that the timeline for achieving AGI is less important than the journey itself, focusing on developing the most advanced, trusted, and accessible AI technology.

“What matters is the journey that drives us—relentless pursuit of developing the most advanced, trusted and sustainable AI that anyone, anywhere can use with minimal effort,” Prasad told Time. 

Other notable mentions:

Other mentions on the list include Anant Vijay Singh, product lead at the Swiss privacy company Proton, Aravind Srinivas, chief executive of the search company Perplexity AI, and Shiv Rao, co-founder and chief executive of the AI-powered medical scribe company Abridge.