Top 25 AI Voices to Follow in 2026
Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept; it's reshaping industries, redefining careers, and transforming how we interact with technology every single day. From generative AI breakthroughs to ethical AI frameworks, from large language models to computer vision innovations, the pace of change is extraordinary.
In this rapidly evolving landscape, staying informed isn't just beneficial, it's essential. Whether you're an AI researcher pushing the boundaries of what's possible, a machine learning engineer building a production system, a business leader evaluating AI strategies, or simply someone curious about this transformative technology, following the right voices can make all the difference.
This curated list features 25 influential AI leaders, researchers, educators, and practitioners who are shaping the future of artificial intelligence. These experts span the full spectrum of AI—from deep technical research to practical implementation, from startup innovation to enterprise deployment, from AI safety to breakthrough applications.
Why Follow AI Industry Leaders?
Stay Ahead of the Curve: AI advances at breakneck speed. These voices help you understand not just what's happening now, but where the field is headed.
Learn from the Best: Gain insights from people who are literally writing the code, publishing the research, and building the products that define modern AI.
Understand Multiple Perspectives: From technical depth to business strategy, from ethical considerations to practical applications—get a 360-degree view of AI.
Build Your Network: Connect with a global community of AI practitioners, researchers, and enthusiasts who can accelerate your learning journey.
Make Informed Decisions: Whether you're choosing which technologies to adopt, which skills to develop, or how to apply AI ethically, these experts provide the guidance you need.
How to Make the Most of This List
- Engage Thoughtfully: Don't just scroll—read deeply, ask questions, and participate in discussions
- Diversify Your Learning: Follow voices across different AI domains to build comprehensive knowledge
- Apply What You Learn: Experiment with tutorials, replicate research findings, and build your own projects
- Share Insights: Help others by sharing valuable content and your own learnings with your network
- Stay Curious: AI is evolving rapidly—maintain a learning mindset and be open to new ideas
The Top 25 AI Voices for 2026
Industry Leaders & Visionaries
These executives and founders lead the companies to build AI's future—from foundational hardware to cutting-edge models. They shape strategy, drive investment, and define how AI integrates into products that impact billions. Follow them to understand where the industry is heading and why.
Jensen Huang
Founder and CEO of NVIDIA who transformed the company into the world's AI computing powerhouse, making GPUs essential infrastructure for modern AI.
Mustafa Suleyman
One of the "Godfathers of AI," now leading Microsoft's consumer AI efforts and author of "The Coming Wave" on responsible AI development.
Demis Hassabis
CEO of Google DeepMind behind AlphaGo, AlphaFold, and Gemini. Nobel Prize winner pushing AI to solve fundamental scientific problems.
Daniela Amodei
Co-founder and President of Anthropic, building Claude and pioneering AI safety with a focus on reliable, interpretable systems.
May Habib
CEO of Writer, solving enterprise AI challenges around governance, brand consistency, and compliant generative AI deployment.
Why follow them: They're not just commenting on AI—they're building it at scale. Follow to see strategic decisions unfold in real time.
AI Researchers & Technical Pioneers
These are the minds behind breakthrough algorithms, foundational papers, and research that moves the entire field forward. From deep learning pioneers to critics who keep the field honest, they bring both technical depth and intellectual rigor.
Andrew Ng
The world's leading AI educator who has taught millions through Coursera and DeepLearning.AI, making AI accessible to everyone.
Fei-Fei Li
Creator of ImageNet who catalyzed the deep learning revolution, now championing human-centered AI at Stanford. Beyond her technical contributions, she's a leading voice on human-centered AI, AI ethics, and increasing diversity in AI.
Yann LeCun
Turing Award winner and pioneer of convolutional neural networks, leading Meta's AI research toward human-level intelligence.
Aravind Srinivas
CEO of Perplexity AI, reimagining search by combining large language models with real-time information and citations.
Sebastian Raschka
Lead AI educator at Lightning AI and bestselling author known for making complex concepts accessible through hands-on, code-driven teaching.
Gary Marcus
Cognitive scientist providing essential critical perspectives on AI's limitations and advocating for more robust hybrid AI systems.
Why follow them: They define what's possible in AI. Follow to understand the research that will become tomorrow's products.
Applied AI & Startups
These founders and operators are translating AI research into scalable products and infrastructure. They bridge the gap between cutting-edge models and production systems that handle real users and real business challenges.
Lin Qiao
CEO of Fireworks AI, building fast and cost-effective AI infrastructure for developers deploying models at scale.
Sarah Guo
Venture capitalist and founder of Conviction, investing in AI-first companies and hosting the influential "No Priors" podcast.
Why follow them: They're solving the hard problems of making AI work in production. Follow to learn what actually scales.
AI Education & Community Builders
These educators and communicators make AI accessible to millions. They break down complexity, build communities, and help people transition into AI careers. Their superpower is turning intimidating concepts into actionable knowledge.
Allie K. Miller
LinkedIn
AI entrepreneur with 1M+ followers, making AI accessible to business audiences and building inclusive tech communities.
Aishwarya Srinivasan
LinkedIn
Head of Developer Relations with 670K+ followers, creating accessible content on AI careers, tools, and breaking into the industry.
Ethan Mollick
LinkedIn
Wharton professor and author of "Co-Intelligence," exploring how AI transforms work, education, and human creativity.
Steve Nouri
LinkedIn
Founder of AI Renaissance, building one of LinkedIn's largest AI communities with daily insights and tutorials.
Why follow them: They translate AI into language anyone can understand. Follow to level up your skills or help others start their journey.
AI Ethics, Safety & Policy
These voices bring rigor to the business side of AI—combining technical knowledge with strategic thinking about implementation, ROI, and organizational transformation.
Kirk Borne | LinkedIn
Data science veteran bridging technical and business perspectives across academia, NASA, and industry.
Daniel Hulme | LinkedIn
CEO of Satalia (acquired by WPP), specializing in practical AI applications for business optimization and decision-making.
Kate Kallot | LinkedIn
AI consultant making AI understandable for business audiences, focusing on ethical implementation and change management.
Why follow them: They help you think beyond the technology to business outcomes and responsible deployment.
Emerging Voices & Innovators
These rising experts bring fresh perspectives, specialized expertise, and innovative approaches. From product management to machine learning books to long-form interviews, they're expanding how we think about and work with AI.
Vineet Vashishta
LinkedIn
AI strategy advisor and author of "The Business Case for AI," cutting through hype with practical implementation insights.
Lex Fridman
LinkedIn
MIT researcher hosting in-depth conversations with leading AI minds on his widely popular podcast.
Charlotte Le Doux
LinkedIn
AI product leader specializing in bringing AI products from concept to market and product management strategy.
Andriy Burkov
LinkedIn
Author of "The Hundred-Page Machine Learning Book," distilling essential ML concepts with exceptional clarity.
Pascal Bornet
LinkedIn
Author of "Intelligent Automation" and former McKinsey/EY partner, bridging AI technology with business transformation.
Why follow them: They represent where AI is going next. Follow to discover emerging trends before they go mainstream.
Key AI Trends to Watch in 2026
As you follow these experts, you'll notice several dominant themes:
Generative AI Maturation: Moving beyond ChatGPT hype to practical, production-ready applications across industries. Expect more specialized models, better reliability, and clearer ROI metrics.
AI Agents and Agentic Systems: AI systems that can plan, use tools, and accomplish multi-step tasks autonomously. This represents a shift from AI as a co-pilot to AI as a colleague.
Multimodal AI: Systems that seamlessly process and generate text, images, audio, video, and other modalities. GPT-4o and Gemini represent the beginning of truly unified AI systems.
AI Safety and Alignment: As AI systems become more powerful, ensuring they behave as intended and align with human values becomes critical. Expect more focus on interpretability, control, and robust evaluation.
On-Device and Edge AI: Running AI models locally on phones, laptops, and edge devices for privacy, speed, and reduced costs. Apple Intelligence and similar initiatives are accelerating this trend.
AI Regulation and Governance: Governments worldwide are implementing AI regulations. The EU AI Act, executive orders in the US, and similar policies will shape how AI is developed and deployed.
Open Source AI: The tension between closed commercial models and open-source alternatives continues, with significant implications for innovation, competition, and democratization.
AI for Science: Using AI to accelerate scientific discovery, from drug development (AlphaFold) to materials science to climate modeling. AI is becoming a fundamental tool for researchers.
Enterprise AI Adoption: Organizations moving from AI experiments to scaled deployment, with focus on ROI, governance, integration with existing systems, and change management.
Synthetic Data and Training Methods: New approaches to training AI systems with less reliance on massive datasets, including synthetic data generation and more efficient learning algorithms.
Conclusion
Artificial intelligence is arguably the most transformative technology of our generation, with the potential to revolutionize healthcare, education, scientific discovery, creative expression, and virtually every aspect of human life. Yet with this potential comes profound questions about safety, ethics, bias, job displacement, and maintaining human agency.
The 25 voices in this list represent the breadth and depth of AI—from the technical pioneers pushing the boundaries of what's possible, to the educators making AI accessible to millions, to the ethicists ensuring we build AI responsibly, to the entrepreneurs proving AI's business value.
By following these experts, you're not just staying informed about AI developments—you're joining a global conversation about humanity's technological future. You're learning from people who are quite literally shaping how AI will impact society, business, and daily life.
Remember, AI is a team sport. The field advances through collaboration, open sharing of ideas, and diverse perspectives. As you learn from these experts, consider how you can contribute back—whether through your own projects, sharing insights with others, mentoring newcomers, or simply asking thoughtful questions that push the field forward.
Who are your favorite AI voices to follow? Share your recommendations and let's continue building a vibrant, knowledgeable, and responsible AI community together.