Mira Murati has once again earned recognition on TIME’s global AI list, appearing alongside some of the most influential figures shaping the future of artificial intelligence.
TIME has unveiled its TIME100 AI 2026, recognizing 100 people whose work is having a major impact on the development and direction of artificial intelligence worldwide.
Among those selected is Mira Murati, the Albanian-American technology leader and former Chief Technology Officer at OpenAI. She also appears on TIME’s global TIME100 AI cover alongside figures including Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison, Fei-Fei Li, Ilya Sutskever and Elon Musk.
Murati’s inclusion comes as she leads Thinking Machines Lab, the AI company she founded in 2025. TIME highlights her vision of developing AI systems that can be customized with users’ own data and guided through more human-like interaction, with the goal of expanding human agency rather than simply replacing it.
TIME’s 2026 list brings together leaders, innovators, shapers and thinkers from across the AI ecosystem, including technology executives, researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers and figures from the creative industries.
The list also reflects the rapidly expanding influence of AI beyond the technology sector, with figures from entertainment and creative industries included alongside some of the world’s most prominent technology leaders.
TIME describes the current AI landscape as increasingly transformative and disruptive, as technological advances intersect with economic, political and creative interests.
The 2026 selection also highlights the growing global competition surrounding artificial intelligence, including the increasingly important role of China’s technology sector in the race to develop and shape the future of AI.
For Murati, the recognition marks another major milestone in a career that has placed her among the most prominent figures in the global AI industry.
