Time's Person of the Year: An Articulated Choice

2025 has been the year of AI, at a moment when AI still has a lot to prove.

This year has been shaped by artificial intelligence, and how could it not be? A powerful mix of rapid technological advancements and societal shifts has made it impossible to ignore the enormity, impact, and potential effects of AI on our lives moving forward.

Time Magazine underscored this reality with its bold choice of the Architects of AI as the 2025 Person of the Year. This group of researchers, developers, and innovators sits at the helm of one of the most transformative forces of our time. Their work is already redefining industries, economies, and the rhythms of everyday life. From healthcare and finance to creative fields and education, AI is no longer speculative. It is foundational.

Yet this recognition also raises important questions about accountability, ethics, and the broader consequences of the technology being built. The Architects of AI are undeniably visionaries, but with vision comes responsibility—and sky-high expectations.

At the start of 2025, speculation swirled around the role of AGI: Could we achieve it? Should we? And what would it mean if we did? Would we be ushering in a hyper-intelligence that could eclipse humanity, or a new era of knowledge, creativity, and productivity? So far, AI has delivered incremental improvements—better models like ChatGPT and Gemini—and a flood of AI-generated “slop” in the form of short-form content. But it has not yet delivered the sweeping transformation many predicted for work, society, and everyday life.

The Architects of AI are acutely aware of the pressure they carry as they attempt to build what could become the most consequential technology in human history. How they choose to wield that power will shape whether AI becomes a platform for human flourishing or a force that overwhelms the institutions and norms that hold society together.

Despite the uncertainties, I remain optimistic. Artificial intelligence still holds the promise of breakthroughs—of new ways to learn, create, and connect that make our lives richer and more meaningful. And acknowledging its risks doesn’t diminish its potential; it simply clarifies our responsibility as users and participants.f

If 2025 was the year AI was crowned, then the years ahead must be the ones in which it earns the title: through purpose, transparency, and a commitment to elevating humanity rather than outpacing it.

Michael McAteer

Owner, BIG Gravity Marketing