By Karen Rouse

CITP is thrilled to share that TIME has named CITP Director Arvind Narayanan and graduate student Sayash Kapoor to the inaugural TIME100 AI list, which recognizes 100 people who are leading  the conversations about how artificial intelligence is shaping the world.

Cover of TIME magazine with pictures of the 100 AI influencers

Princeton CITP researchers Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor are featured on the cover of TIME

The two Princeton University computer scientists grace the cover of the magazine with leaders like researcher Alondra Nelson, former director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT developer OpenAI, musician Grimes and Elon Musk.

Both Kapoor and Narayanan called the distinction an honor. “I’m especially glad that we’ve been able to contribute to the public discourse without curtailing our research activities,” Narayanan said. “If anything, each side of our work has helped us be more effective at the other.”

Kapoor added: “AI is at a turning point. The conversations that were appealing only to researchers two years ago are now in front of journalists, policymakers, and the public. I’m glad our work has been useful to guide this discussion.”

See TIME’s interview with Narayanan and Kapoor here. The TIME100 AI list, featured in the October 9, 2023 issue of TIME, will be available on newsstands beginning Friday, September 29.

Narayanan and Kapoor, a computer science Ph.D. candidate who is advised by Narayanan, launched the AI Snake Oil newsletter in 2022 as a vehicle for dismantling distorted and exaggerated claims about what AI can do. Their direct, research-backed writings about the limitations and risks of AI; willingness to test popular thought about technologies like GPT-4, and advocacy for reforms to protect the public user, have contributed to their reputation as sound, reliable and fearless voices on artificial intelligence for journalists, policymakers and other technologists and computer scientists.

In a social media tweet, Kapoor thanked the readers of the AI Snake Oil blog, saying that when he and Narayanan “started our AI snake oil newsletter a year ago, we weren’t sure if anyone would read it. Thank you to the 13,000 of you who read our scholarship and analysis on AI week after week.”

Kapoor and Narayanan are currently under contract with Princeton University Press to write a book, also entitled “AI Snake Oil,” designed to help readers navigate both predictive and generative AI technologies. For the full TIME100 AI list, visit time.com/time100ai. You may follow Narayanan at @random_walker and Kapoor at @sayashk on X (formerly Twitter).

See TIME’s article on How We Chose the TIME100 Most Influential People in AI.