AI is automating processes, sparking innovation, and will soon lead industries. So, considering the exponential rise of artificial intelligence, it is crucial and essential to stay updated regarding the latest developments in AI. For that, you can follow the AI influences on social media, which can provide you with the insights and guidance you need.

This way, you will never miss an update and know everything from detection algorithms to the rise of CNN (convolutional neural networks) for image processing, artificial general intelligence, and developments in facial recognition technologies. If you don't know which AI influencers to follow, we have listed the top 6 AI influencers with the right thought leaders. So, know about them here and follow them to stay tuned for cutting-edge AI innovations!

Six AI Influencers To Follow In 2025

Here is a list of the top 6 AI influencers you should follow in 2025:

Andrew Ng

Starting strong, Andrew Yan-Tak Ng is the most influential person in computer vision and data-driven landscape. He is an adjunct professor at Stanford University and a computer scientist and entrepreneur contributing to AI's ethical advancements. He has co-written more than 200 research papers in machine learning, data analytics, and robotics. He is the founder of DeepLearning.AI, CEO of Landing AI, General partner of AI Fund, Co-founder of Coursera, and former head of Baidu AI. Andrew provides access to Coursera to the entire world to democratize education without financial barriers. Coursera has collaborated with leading universities, offering excellent online courses. Today, Coursera is in one of the leading positions on MOOC platforms (Massive open online courses). He made it to The 100 list of the most influential persons with 1,364,093 followers on LinkedIn and 919.6 K on Twitter. He is quite active on social media, so follow him to stay updated on data-related topics.

Kai-Fu Lee

Kai-Fu Lee is a famous figure in AI, especially in implementing and advancing AI technologies. He was the president of Google China and a senior executive at Apple, Microsoft, and SGI. Currently, Lee is the CEO of 01.AI. He has made prominent contributions to speech recognition and NLP (natural language processing). He was pivotal in developing the first continuous speech recognition system for Mandarin. His involvement has also been essential in AI systems that facilitate human and computer interaction, such as virtual assistants and chatbots. Lee is a major supporter of AI technologies and advancements, which led him to create Sinovation Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in AI startups. His efforts and contributions aimed to establish ethical responsibilities in the AI sector and influenced industry standards and public policy. Time Magazine named him one of the most influential people in the world in 2013. Lee is the author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller AI Superpowers, which focuses on the role of China and the US in AI and its impact on society.

Ian Goodfellow

Ian Goodfellow is an expert in artificial intelligence, computer vision, and machine learning. In 2014, he founded generative adversarial networks (GANs) that impacted the world of artificial intelligence. His contributions enabled AI to create realistic images and videos, video games, and medical imaging. He introduced a Novel approach to generating realistic images, putting two neural networks, a discriminator and a generator, against each other. The process significantly improved the quality of generated images and created the possibility of artificial image creation. Beyond GANs, Goodfellow’s influence on computer vision extends to Google Brain and Apple. During his tenure at Google Brain, Goodfellow focused on developing AI-powered tools and created Google Maps that millions use today. His academic work cannot be ignored. He wrote the book Deep Learning and contributed to Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach. Goodfellow also works as a research scientist.

Yann LeChun

Yann LeCun is a widely known leader in computational neuroscience, machine learning, mobile robotics, and computer vision. LeCun is considered the founding father of CNN (convolutional neural networks), which earned him a Turing award due to his significant contributions to modern AI, especially through CNN. CNN is a pillar in computer vision, processing data with grid-like topologies. LeChun was the first to use CNN for image recognition, allowing computers to classify images easily. The technology has been seen to be implemented in many industries, including medical images and self-driving cars. LeChun also developed DjVu, an advanced image compression technology. He is the chief AI scientist at Meta, leading research and AI development. LeChun also established a research-established biological and computational learning Lab at New York University.

Dr. Fei-Fei Li

Dr Fei-Fei Li is a leading expert in AI. Her main focus and contributions are in machine learning, NLP, and computer vision. She is a professor at Stanford University. Besides that, she is also co-director at Stanford's AI Institute and the Stanford Vision and Learning Lab. Dr. Li co-founded and led the imageNet project, a huge labeled image dataset that transforms image recognition and deep learning. It has elevated the algorithm's ability to recognize and process various images. Her passion for AI urged Dr. Li to create a non-profit organization, AI4LL, in 2017. This organization aims to teach and inspire future AI researchers and leaders worldwide.

Timnit Gebru

Timnit Gebru is a computer scientist who advocates for DE&I (diversity, equity, and inclusion) in AI. She is the co-founder and president of Black in AI, which works to increase the inclusion and representation of black researchers in AI. She also founded the Distributed AI Research Institute, which conducts AI research that classifies social good and ethical concerns. As a former co-lead of Google's ethical AI team, she ensured the company's AI products did not eternalize racial bias. In 2020, she published a paper that evaluated Google's approach to these complex matters and the ethics of AI language models. Time Magazine named Gebru one of the 100 most influential people in the world. She continues to advocate for AI practices and emphasize transparency and ethical standards in AI applications and research.

Conclusion:

AI is a technology that is here to stay. It has become crucial for businesses to stay updated by following the top AI influencers to give their competitors a competitive edge. The top AI leaders include Andrew Ng, Kai-Fu Lee, Ian Goodfellow, Yann LeChun, and Timnit Gebru. Their contributions are reshaping industries, including finance and healthcare. The efforts of AI leaders help solve complex problems and push the boundaries of the possibilities that come with artificial intelligence. These experts will provide insights into the future of AI, its impact on society, today's AI advancement, and the effect on tomorrow's tech industry.