Who’s Who In AI: A curated directory of influential builders, researchers, founders, engineers, investors, writers, and public figures shaping the future of artificial intelligence.
About This Directory
Artificial intelligence is evolving rapidly, driven by a relatively small group of individuals whose ideas, research, products, and companies influence the direction of the industry.
This directory serves as a practical reference guide for anyone seeking to understand the people behind today’s most important AI breakthroughs, businesses, platforms, and conversations.
Whether you’re researching industry leaders, discovering influential voices, following emerging startups, or simply learning who’s shaping the future of AI, this directory provides a structured place to begin.
Who’s Who in AI
There are currently 3 names in this directory beginning with the letter B.
Benjamin Rosman
Founding Director, MIND Institute; Professor, University of the Witwatersrand
Benjamin Rosman is a Professor of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he runs the Robotics, Autonomous Intelligence and Learning (RAIL) Laboratory. He holds a PhD in Informatics and an MSc in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Edinburgh.
In 2024, he became the founding Director of the Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery (MIND) Institute at Wits, focused on the fundamental science of intelligence in machines, humans, and animals. He is also Chief Science Officer of Lelapa AI, building AI for Africans, by Africans.
MIND gathers 34 fellows from across the university — neuroanatomists, philosophers, policy experts, and AI researchers — to tackle fundamental questions in both artificial and natural intelligence, from elephant communication to how culture shapes human-robot interaction. Backed by Google and IBM, the institute aims to expand to scholars across Africa and abroad.
Rosman pushes back hard against a narrow view of what Africa can contribute to AI. "It's like, screw you," he says of the assumption that Africa can only contribute applications or data — arguing instead for building core technologies and foundational research that create genuine commercial and intellectual leverage.
In 2025, Rosman was named a Fellow of CIFAR's Learning in Machines and Brains programme, joining Yoshua Bengio, Yann LeCun, and Geoffrey Hinton.
Submitted by: AdminBenjamin Rosman is a Professor of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he runs the Robotics, Autonomous Intelligence and Learning (RAIL) Laboratory. He holds a PhD in Informatics and an MSc in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Edinburgh.
In 2024, he became the founding Director of the Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery (MIND) Institute at Wits, focused on the fundamental science of intelligence in machines, humans, and animals. He is also Chief Science Officer of Lelapa AI, building AI for Africans, by Africans.
MIND gathers 34 fellows from across the university — neuroanatomists, philosophers, policy experts, and AI researchers — to tackle fundamental questions in both artificial and natural intelligence, from elephant communication to how culture shapes human-robot interaction. Backed by Google and IBM, the institute aims to expand to scholars across Africa and abroad.
Rosman pushes back hard against a narrow view of what Africa can contribute to AI. "It's like, screw you," he says of the assumption that Africa can only contribute applications or data — arguing instead for building core technologies and foundational research that create genuine commercial and intellectual leverage.
In 2025, Rosman was named a Fellow of CIFAR's Learning in Machines and Brains programme, joining Yoshua Bengio, Yann LeCun, and Geoffrey Hinton.
Brandon Tseng
Co-founder and President, Shield AI
Brandon Tseng served seven years in the U.S. Navy as a SEAL and Surface Warfare Officer, deploying twice to Afghanistan, to the Pacific Theater, and to the Arabian Gulf. Those firsthand experiences — watching service members operate without sufficient intelligence in the field — became the founding motivation for Shield AI. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Shield AI's mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its core product is Hivemind, an AI pilot that has flown an F-16 fighter jet, a vertical takeoff and landing drone, and a quadcopter. In 2023, Shield AI became the first company to fly a combat aircraft with an AI pilot, pitting it against an F-16 flown by a U.S. Air Force weapons school pilot in a first-of-its-kind dogfight.
The company's latest milestone is its most significant. In October 2025, Shield AI launched X-BAT — described as the world's first AI-piloted VTOL fighter jet — a 23,000-pound tail-sitting strike aircraft designed to operate without a runway. The company is valued at $5.3 billion following a $240 million Series F-1 funding round.
As president, Tseng leads business development, strategy, and government relations — translating a decade of battlefield-driven product development into policy and commercial scale.
Submitted by: Admin Brandon Tseng served seven years in the U.S. Navy as a SEAL and Surface Warfare Officer, deploying twice to Afghanistan, to the Pacific Theater, and to the Arabian Gulf. Those firsthand experiences — watching service members operate without sufficient intelligence in the field — became the founding motivation for Shield AI. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Shield AI's mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its core product is Hivemind, an AI pilot that has flown an F-16 fighter jet, a vertical takeoff and landing drone, and a quadcopter. In 2023, Shield AI became the first company to fly a combat aircraft with an AI pilot, pitting it against an F-16 flown by a U.S. Air Force weapons school pilot in a first-of-its-kind dogfight.
The company's latest milestone is its most significant. In October 2025, Shield AI launched X-BAT — described as the world's first AI-piloted VTOL fighter jet — a 23,000-pound tail-sitting strike aircraft designed to operate without a runway. The company is valued at $5.3 billion following a $240 million Series F-1 funding round.
As president, Tseng leads business development, strategy, and government relations — translating a decade of battlefield-driven product development into policy and commercial scale.
Bruce Reed
Head of AI, Common Sense Media
Bruce Reed is a veteran of three Democratic presidential administrations who served as President Biden's White House Deputy Chief of Staff, where Politico dubbed him the "AI Whisperer" for leading Biden's AI Executive Order and securing voluntary commitments from frontier labs. He holds a B.A. from Princeton and an M.Phil. from Oxford.
Reed joined Common Sense Media as Head of AI in March 2025, where his mandate is ensuring AI looks out for the health, safety, and best interests of youth and families. The organization publishes research on how young people use AI, conducts risk assessments of AI chatbots and social platforms, and provides AI literacy resources for teens, families, and educators.
His concern is rooted in recent history. "When social media companies rushed to move fast and break things, and ignored kids' privacy and safety, we ended up with a youth mental health crisis," Reed says. "Nobody wants to see that happen again."
Most recently, Reed launched Common Sense Media's Youth AI Safety Institute, aimed at setting standards for how AI systems should behave when interacting with young people.
Reed is optimistic that regulation and innovation can go hand in hand, while clear-eyed about the geopolitical stakes: "We wouldn't want China to be setting the rules of how society operates."
Submitted by: Admin Bruce Reed is a veteran of three Democratic presidential administrations who served as President Biden's White House Deputy Chief of Staff, where Politico dubbed him the "AI Whisperer" for leading Biden's AI Executive Order and securing voluntary commitments from frontier labs. He holds a B.A. from Princeton and an M.Phil. from Oxford.
Reed joined Common Sense Media as Head of AI in March 2025, where his mandate is ensuring AI looks out for the health, safety, and best interests of youth and families. The organization publishes research on how young people use AI, conducts risk assessments of AI chatbots and social platforms, and provides AI literacy resources for teens, families, and educators.
His concern is rooted in recent history. "When social media companies rushed to move fast and break things, and ignored kids' privacy and safety, we ended up with a youth mental health crisis," Reed says. "Nobody wants to see that happen again."
Most recently, Reed launched Common Sense Media's Youth AI Safety Institute, aimed at setting standards for how AI systems should behave when interacting with young people.
Reed is optimistic that regulation and innovation can go hand in hand, while clear-eyed about the geopolitical stakes: "We wouldn't want China to be setting the rules of how society operates."
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