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 8 names in this directory beginning with the letter D.
Dan Maloney
CEO, LandingAI
Dan Maloney is a technology executive with over 25 years of experience across AI, SaaS, and enterprise applications, having built and scaled multiple high-growth companies to successful exits.
His path to LandingAI runs through several notable stops. At SAP, he played a pivotal role in expanding its ecosystem business to over $500 million in annual revenue. He then founded Zepl, selling it to DataRobot, where he subsequently served as EVP. Before that, he led Perspica as CEO, successfully selling the company to Cisco.
Maloney joined LandingAI — Andrew Ng's enterprise AI company — initially as COO, before being elevated to CEO in 2024 as Ng transitioned to Executive Chairman.
His focus is on what LandingAI calls agentic vision: combining advanced computer vision with agentic AI to solve complex visual problems for enterprises. A flagship application is automated manufacturing quality control — AI-powered inspection tools that can automatically flag defective parts on a production line or verify assembly components in real time. The company has built deep integrations with Snowflake, making its tools deployable across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud environments with minimal friction for security-conscious enterprise customers.
LandingAI raised a further Series B round in September 2025, with Maloney now leading the commercial scale-up of the platform Ng built — translating foundational AI research into production-grade enterprise infrastructure.
Submitted by: AdminDan Maloney is a technology executive with over 25 years of experience across AI, SaaS, and enterprise applications, having built and scaled multiple high-growth companies to successful exits.
His path to LandingAI runs through several notable stops. At SAP, he played a pivotal role in expanding its ecosystem business to over $500 million in annual revenue. He then founded Zepl, selling it to DataRobot, where he subsequently served as EVP. Before that, he led Perspica as CEO, successfully selling the company to Cisco.
Maloney joined LandingAI — Andrew Ng's enterprise AI company — initially as COO, before being elevated to CEO in 2024 as Ng transitioned to Executive Chairman.
His focus is on what LandingAI calls agentic vision: combining advanced computer vision with agentic AI to solve complex visual problems for enterprises. A flagship application is automated manufacturing quality control — AI-powered inspection tools that can automatically flag defective parts on a production line or verify assembly components in real time. The company has built deep integrations with Snowflake, making its tools deployable across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud environments with minimal friction for security-conscious enterprise customers.
LandingAI raised a further Series B round in September 2025, with Maloney now leading the commercial scale-up of the platform Ng built — translating foundational AI research into production-grade enterprise infrastructure.
Daniel Kokotajlo
Co-founder and Lead Researcher, AI Futures Project
Daniel Kokotajlo studied philosophy at the University of Notre Dame before becoming an AI safety researcher, working at AI Impacts and the Center on Long-Term Risk before joining OpenAI's governance division from 2022 to 2024. He resigned from OpenAI in April 2024, citing concerns that the company was prioritizing rapid product development over safety and advancing without sufficient safeguards.
His reputation rests on a track record that is difficult to dismiss. In 2021, when machine learning was still a niche subfield, Kokotajlo wrote a blog post titled "What 2026 Looks Like" — accurately predicting the explosion of chatbots and the rise of inference-time scaling years before either happened.
In April 2025, he published AI 2027: a detailed forecast predicting that by 2026, AI companies would train models that begin automating AI research itself, and that by 2027 those models would train successors smarter than human geniuses in all fields — copies of which could be run hundreds of thousands of times simultaneously, communicating in ways humans cannot follow or oversee. The document has been widely read across the industry and in policy circles.
In May 2026, Kokotajlo told Business Insider plainly: "AI is not loyal to us" — and outlined what he believes governments and companies must do to reduce the risk of losing control.
Submitted by: Admin Daniel Kokotajlo studied philosophy at the University of Notre Dame before becoming an AI safety researcher, working at AI Impacts and the Center on Long-Term Risk before joining OpenAI's governance division from 2022 to 2024. He resigned from OpenAI in April 2024, citing concerns that the company was prioritizing rapid product development over safety and advancing without sufficient safeguards.
His reputation rests on a track record that is difficult to dismiss. In 2021, when machine learning was still a niche subfield, Kokotajlo wrote a blog post titled "What 2026 Looks Like" — accurately predicting the explosion of chatbots and the rise of inference-time scaling years before either happened.
In April 2025, he published AI 2027: a detailed forecast predicting that by 2026, AI companies would train models that begin automating AI research itself, and that by 2027 those models would train successors smarter than human geniuses in all fields — copies of which could be run hundreds of thousands of times simultaneously, communicating in ways humans cannot follow or oversee. The document has been widely read across the industry and in policy circles.
In May 2026, Kokotajlo told Business Insider plainly: "AI is not loyal to us" — and outlined what he believes governments and companies must do to reduce the risk of losing control.
Dario Amodei
Co-founder and CEO, Anthropic
Dario Amodei co-founded Anthropic in 2021 alongside his sister Daniela after departing OpenAI, where he had served as VP of Research. The company's stated mission is the responsible development of AI for the long-term benefit of humanity, and its flagship model is Claude.
Anthropic has received $4 billion in investment from Amazon and $2 billion from Google, and reached a $60 billion valuation in 2025. Amodei was named to TIME's 100 Most Influential People in AI and ranked 37th on Fortune's 2025 list of the world' s most powerful businesspeople, and was selected as TIME's 2025 Person of the Year.
His public profile has grown increasingly prominent — and at times contentious. In early 2026, Amodei stated he "cannot in good conscience" comply with Pentagon demands over the use of Anthropic's AI in military applications, triggering a high-profile standoff in which the Defense Department designated Anthropic a "supply chain risk" — an unprecedented action that drew widespread attention across the AI industry.
Amodei has also publicly expressed discomfort with the concentration of power accumulating among a small group of AI leaders, including himself, warning that this cadre should not be the ones in charge of the technology's future. It is a rare and notable posture for a CEO at the center of one of the most consequential technology races in history.
Submitted by: AdminDario Amodei co-founded Anthropic in 2021 alongside his sister Daniela after departing OpenAI, where he had served as VP of Research. The company's stated mission is the responsible development of AI for the long-term benefit of humanity, and its flagship model is Claude.
Anthropic has received $4 billion in investment from Amazon and $2 billion from Google, and reached a $60 billion valuation in 2025. Amodei was named to TIME's 100 Most Influential People in AI and ranked 37th on Fortune's 2025 list of the world' s most powerful businesspeople, and was selected as TIME's 2025 Person of the Year.
His public profile has grown increasingly prominent — and at times contentious. In early 2026, Amodei stated he "cannot in good conscience" comply with Pentagon demands over the use of Anthropic's AI in military applications, triggering a high-profile standoff in which the Defense Department designated Anthropic a "supply chain risk" — an unprecedented action that drew widespread attention across the AI industry.
Amodei has also publicly expressed discomfort with the concentration of power accumulating among a small group of AI leaders, including himself, warning that this cadre should not be the ones in charge of the technology's future. It is a rare and notable posture for a CEO at the center of one of the most consequential technology races in history.
David Ha
Co-founder and CEO, Sakana AI
David Ha is a former Goldman Sachs derivatives trader turned AI researcher — an unlikely origin story for one of Japan's leading AI figures. He later joined Google as a research scientist, eventually leading the Google Brain Research team in Japan, before co-founding Sakana AI in 2023. He holds an engineering degree from the University of Toronto and a PhD from the University of Tokyo.
Sakana AI takes its name from the Japanese word for fish — a nod to the idea of a school of fish forming coherent intelligence from simple rules. The company's research centers on collective intelligence and evolutionary approaches to AI, with a mission to democratize AI development without requiring vast computational resources.
Sakana AI is the fastest Japan-based company to achieve a $1 billion valuation. It has since raised $379 million in total funding, reaching a valuation of approximately $2.65 billion as of late 2025.
The company's most notable achievement is its AI Scientist system. In March 2025, AI Scientist became the first AI-conducted and AI-written research paper to be accepted by peer reviewers at a premier machine learning conference — a milestone Ha described as "very promising early signs of progress" toward a new era of science, while cautioning that significant challenges in alignment and evaluation remain.
TIME named Ha to its 100 Most Influential People in AI 2025 list.
Submitted by: Admin David Ha is a former Goldman Sachs derivatives trader turned AI researcher — an unlikely origin story for one of Japan's leading AI figures. He later joined Google as a research scientist, eventually leading the Google Brain Research team in Japan, before co-founding Sakana AI in 2023. He holds an engineering degree from the University of Toronto and a PhD from the University of Tokyo.
Sakana AI takes its name from the Japanese word for fish — a nod to the idea of a school of fish forming coherent intelligence from simple rules. The company's research centers on collective intelligence and evolutionary approaches to AI, with a mission to democratize AI development without requiring vast computational resources.
Sakana AI is the fastest Japan-based company to achieve a $1 billion valuation. It has since raised $379 million in total funding, reaching a valuation of approximately $2.65 billion as of late 2025.
The company's most notable achievement is its AI Scientist system. In March 2025, AI Scientist became the first AI-conducted and AI-written research paper to be accepted by peer reviewers at a premier machine learning conference — a milestone Ha described as "very promising early signs of progress" toward a new era of science, while cautioning that significant challenges in alignment and evaluation remain.
TIME named Ha to its 100 Most Influential People in AI 2025 list.
David Holz
Founder and CEO, Midjourney
Before founding Midjourney, David Holz co-founded Leap Motion, the pioneering hand-tracking technology company, and prior to that contracted for NASA's Langley Research Center and conducted neuroscience research at the Max Planck Institute. He studied applied mathematics at the University of North Carolina before leaving his PhD program to pursue entrepreneurship.
Midjourney was founded in 2021 as an independent research lab with a stated mission to "expand the imaginative powers of the human species." Within a year it was profitable without outside investors, and by 2024 reportedly generated $300 million in revenue. The company now has over 20 million users.
What makes Holz an outlier in the AI industry is his deliberate rejection of the venture capital model. Midjourney remains fully bootstrapped and intentionally small — running with a lean team and no outside funding — while competing directly with the products of OpenAI, Google, and others backed by hundreds of billions of dollars.
In 2025, Midjourney launched Midjourney TV, a 24/7 stream of videos made with its V1 video model. That same year, Disney and Universal sued Midjourney alleging copyright infringement of their characters, with Midjourney arguing its training and outputs are protected under fair use.
TIME named Holz to its 100 Most Influential People in AI 2025 list. His philosophy remains consistent: "The goal is to make humans more imaginative, not make imaginative machines."
Submitted by: AdminBefore founding Midjourney, David Holz co-founded Leap Motion, the pioneering hand-tracking technology company, and prior to that contracted for NASA's Langley Research Center and conducted neuroscience research at the Max Planck Institute. He studied applied mathematics at the University of North Carolina before leaving his PhD program to pursue entrepreneurship.
Midjourney was founded in 2021 as an independent research lab with a stated mission to "expand the imaginative powers of the human species." Within a year it was profitable without outside investors, and by 2024 reportedly generated $300 million in revenue. The company now has over 20 million users.
What makes Holz an outlier in the AI industry is his deliberate rejection of the venture capital model. Midjourney remains fully bootstrapped and intentionally small — running with a lean team and no outside funding — while competing directly with the products of OpenAI, Google, and others backed by hundreds of billions of dollars.
In 2025, Midjourney launched Midjourney TV, a 24/7 stream of videos made with its V1 video model. That same year, Disney and Universal sued Midjourney alleging copyright infringement of their characters, with Midjourney arguing its training and outputs are protected under fair use.
TIME named Holz to its 100 Most Influential People in AI 2025 list. His philosophy remains consistent: "The goal is to make humans more imaginative, not make imaginative machines."
David Sacks
Co-chair, President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (formerly White House AI & Crypto Czar)
David Sacks is a PayPal founding-era COO and part of the legendary "PayPal Mafia" — the alumni network that produced many of Silicon Valley's most consequential investors and operators. He went on to found Yammer, which was acquired by Microsoft, and became a prominent venture capitalist and co-host of the widely followed All-In podcast.
In late 2024, President-elect Trump appointed Sacks as the inaugural White House AI and Crypto Czar, tasking him with making America the clear global leader in both areas. His tenure was defined by a consistent push for a light-touch, pro-innovation approach to AI regulation, backed by his extensive Silicon Valley network.
Key policy wins included the GENIUS Act — America's first regulatory framework for stablecoins — and the release of a national AI legislative framework in March 2026 calling for a unified federal approach rather than a state-by-state patchwork.
After reaching the 130-day limit as a special government employee, Sacks transitioned in March 2026 to co-chair of PCAST — a move that expanded rather than diminished his influence, giving him a direct line to the Oval Office on AI, semiconductors, quantum computing, and nuclear power. A senior White House adviser put it plainly: "David will always be his crypto and AI czar."
Submitted by: Admin David Sacks is a PayPal founding-era COO and part of the legendary "PayPal Mafia" — the alumni network that produced many of Silicon Valley's most consequential investors and operators. He went on to found Yammer, which was acquired by Microsoft, and became a prominent venture capitalist and co-host of the widely followed All-In podcast.
In late 2024, President-elect Trump appointed Sacks as the inaugural White House AI and Crypto Czar, tasking him with making America the clear global leader in both areas. His tenure was defined by a consistent push for a light-touch, pro-innovation approach to AI regulation, backed by his extensive Silicon Valley network.
Key policy wins included the GENIUS Act — America's first regulatory framework for stablecoins — and the release of a national AI legislative framework in March 2026 calling for a unified federal approach rather than a state-by-state patchwork.
After reaching the 130-day limit as a special government employee, Sacks transitioned in March 2026 to co-chair of PCAST — a move that expanded rather than diminished his influence, giving him a direct line to the Oval Office on AI, semiconductors, quantum computing, and nuclear power. A senior White House adviser put it plainly: "David will always be his crypto and AI czar."
Demis Hassabis
Co-founder and CEO, Google DeepMind
Demis Hassabis co-founded DeepMind in 2010 alongside Shane Legg and Mustafa Suleyman, driven by a childhood fascination with teaching machines to think. Google acquired DeepMind in 2014 and merged it with Google Brain in 2023, with Hassabis leading the combined organization.
He is a master chess player, a Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate, and — as of 2024 — a Knight. The Nobel recognized AlphaFold, DeepMind's AI system that solved the 50-year protein structure prediction problem — widely considered one of the greatest scientific achievements of the century.
His commercial mandate is equally ambitious. At Davos in 2026, Hassabis outlined his goal of making AI the engine driving all of Google — using it to cure disease, build universal agents, and move toward what he calls "radical abundance."
His AGI timeline has grown notably more urgent. Having predicted AGI between 2030 and 2035 just a year ago, Hassabis narrowed that window to 2029–30 at Google I/O 2026, declaring: "When we look back at this time, I think we all realize that we were standing in the foothills of the singularity." He said his updated timeline reflects growing confidence that the industry has found the right technical path, adding: "We can see agents really happening now and imagine what they will be in another year."
He remains one of the few people in AI who has both built foundational science and is now racing to deploy it at planetary scale.
Submitted by: AdminDemis Hassabis co-founded DeepMind in 2010 alongside Shane Legg and Mustafa Suleyman, driven by a childhood fascination with teaching machines to think. Google acquired DeepMind in 2014 and merged it with Google Brain in 2023, with Hassabis leading the combined organization.
He is a master chess player, a Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate, and — as of 2024 — a Knight. The Nobel recognized AlphaFold, DeepMind's AI system that solved the 50-year protein structure prediction problem — widely considered one of the greatest scientific achievements of the century.
His commercial mandate is equally ambitious. At Davos in 2026, Hassabis outlined his goal of making AI the engine driving all of Google — using it to cure disease, build universal agents, and move toward what he calls "radical abundance."
His AGI timeline has grown notably more urgent. Having predicted AGI between 2030 and 2035 just a year ago, Hassabis narrowed that window to 2029–30 at Google I/O 2026, declaring: "When we look back at this time, I think we all realize that we were standing in the foothills of the singularity." He said his updated timeline reflects growing confidence that the industry has found the right technical path, adding: "We can see agents really happening now and imagine what they will be in another year."
He remains one of the few people in AI who has both built foundational science and is now racing to deploy it at planetary scale.
Douglas "Doug" Matty
A directory note: Matty departed the CDAO role in December 2025. His title should be updated to reflect this.
Former Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, U.S. Department of Defense
A West Point graduate with a doctorate from MIT, Doug Matty brought nearly 30 years of Army service to the Pentagon's top AI role, including founding and leading the Army AI Integration Center under Army Futures Command from 2020 to 2022. He is the third official to lead the CDAO office since its formation in 2022.
Appointed in April 2025, Matty was tasked with overseeing the Department's efforts to accelerate AI, analytics, and data adoption to enable decision advantage on the battlefield — a mandate spanning everything from logistics and intelligence to autonomous systems and command and control.
His tenure was brief but substantive. In congressional testimony, Matty identified persistent gaps in how the Department's various AI efforts were coordinated, and argued that achieving digital relevance at the speed required by modern conflict demanded both streamlined organizational structures and faster pathways for warfighters to access current AI solutions.
In December 2025, Matty departed the CDAO role to focus on the Trump administration's Golden Dome for America missile defense initiative — a high-priority national security program that signals where AI and autonomous defense capabilities are heading next.
Submitted by: Admin Former Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, U.S. Department of Defense
A West Point graduate with a doctorate from MIT, Doug Matty brought nearly 30 years of Army service to the Pentagon's top AI role, including founding and leading the Army AI Integration Center under Army Futures Command from 2020 to 2022. He is the third official to lead the CDAO office since its formation in 2022.
Appointed in April 2025, Matty was tasked with overseeing the Department's efforts to accelerate AI, analytics, and data adoption to enable decision advantage on the battlefield — a mandate spanning everything from logistics and intelligence to autonomous systems and command and control.
His tenure was brief but substantive. In congressional testimony, Matty identified persistent gaps in how the Department's various AI efforts were coordinated, and argued that achieving digital relevance at the speed required by modern conflict demanded both streamlined organizational structures and faster pathways for warfighters to access current AI solutions.
In December 2025, Matty departed the CDAO role to focus on the Trump administration's Golden Dome for America missile defense initiative — a high-priority national security program that signals where AI and autonomous defense capabilities are heading next.
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