Time magazine will announce its 2025 Person of the Year on Thursday. The frontrunner for the annual title is not a person at all. Artificial intelligence currently holds the best odds of winning the recognition, which Time has awarded since 1927.
AI Dominates Prediction Markets
According to Yahoo News, online betting sites show AI leading the race. The online prediction market Polymarket estimates that AI has more than a 40% chance of taking the title. Jensen Huang, founder of AI chip-making giant Nvidia, follows with 20% odds. Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, holds 15% odds.
Other contenders trail further behind. Pope Leo XIV has 7% odds. President Trump, Time’s 2024 Person of the Year, sits at 3%. New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani also has 3% odds. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds 3%. Late conservative activist Charlie Kirk has 2%. Chinese President Xi Jinping has 2%. Elon Musk rounds out the top ten with 1%.
Historical Precedent for Nonhuman Winners
Time’s designation recognizes the person or entity that most affected news and lives during the year. The magazine has chosen nonhuman subjects before. In 1982, Time named the personal computer as its Machine of the Year. The magazine recognized Endangered Earth as Planet of the Year in 1988. In 2006, Time picked You as Person of the Year for the social media content creation revolution.
Public Concerns About AI Rise
Americans show growing worry about artificial intelligence this year. A recent Yahoo/YouGov poll found that 53% of Americans think AI will likely destroy humanity someday. The survey, conducted in late October, revealed that 63% believe AI will become so advanced that humans cannot control it anymore.
A generation gap exists in AI adoption. Another Yahoo/YouGov poll showed that 82% of Gen Z adults have used AI chatbots like ChatGPT or Google Gemini. Only 33% of baby boomers can say the same. Gen X users reach 54% and millennials hit 68%, but neither group matches Gen Z adoption rates.
The magazine’s official announcement will come Thursday. If AI wins, it will mark the third time Time has chosen a nonhuman subject for its annual honor.
