INSANE! Elon Musk DROPPED from Time’s AI List for THIS Movie Star!

In a surprising turn of events, Elon Musk, one of the most well-known figures in the world of tech and artificial intelligence, has been left off Time’s 2024 list of the “100 Most Influential People in AI.” Meanwhile, Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson secured a spot on the list, even gracing the cover of the special AI edition.

Time’s annual AI list, which highlights the leaders, innovators, and pioneers shaping the future of artificial intelligence, was led by Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang. Other notable figures in the tech world such as OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei were also featured, but Musk, despite his ongoing efforts in AI development, was glaringly absent.

Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, has been deeply involved in the AI space, launching his company xAI in 2023. One of the company’s major innovations, the chatbot Grok, has gained attention as a competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. In addition, Musk’s brain-computer interface company Neuralink made headlines earlier this year for successfully implanting a chip in a paralyzed patient, allowing him to use his mind to browse the internet.

Despite these achievements, Time’s editors left Musk off the list, which has caused a stir across social media platforms. Users took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to express their disapproval, calling out the publication’s decision. One user remarked, “Every person on this top 100 list if asked would say Elon should be on this list.” Another user accused Time of bias, calling it “proof of Time’s bias and lack of integrity.”

Adding fuel to the controversy is the fact that Time is owned by Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, whose company has made significant investments in the AI field. Benioff’s Salesforce Ventures has funded Anthropic, one of the companies whose leaders appeared on the list. In a statement to the New York Post, a Time spokesperson said, “Disclosures are included throughout the TIME100 AI list for any companies mentioned that are backed by Salesforce Ventures.”

This relationship between Time’s ownership and the AI companies it features on its list has not gone unnoticed by critics. Some have speculated that Musk’s exclusion from the list may be due to a conflict of interest or even a personal vendetta. One social media user echoed these sentiments, writing, “I thought it was cute that Elon Musk wasn’t on the cover of Time’s 100 most influential people in AI… My f*cking car drives itself lol.”

Equally as surprising to many is the inclusion of Scarlett Johansson on the list. The actress, best known for her role as Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was embroiled in a legal dispute with OpenAI over claims that her voice was used to train an AI chatbot without her consent. Bollywood star Anil Kapoor and tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee also appeared on the list, prompting even more questions about the criteria for inclusion.

Despite the backlash, Time’s Editor in Chief Sam Jacobs defended the selections, emphasizing the rapid evolution of AI. “If the world of AI was dominated by the emergence of startup labs like OpenAI, Anthropic, and their competitors in 2023, this year, as critics and champions alike have noted, we’ve seen the outsize influence of a small number of tech giants,” Jacobs explained in the article.

Jacobs also pointed out that 91 of the 100 individuals featured in the 2024 list had not appeared on the previous year’s edition, highlighting just how quickly the field of AI is changing. “This year’s list offers examples of the possibilities for AI when it moves out of the lab and into the world,” he wrote.

While the exclusion of Musk may have sparked debate, Time’s list undoubtedly reflects the shifting landscape of AI and the diverse range of individuals influencing its future. Whether it’s CEOs of leading AI companies or celebrities involved in AI-related controversies, the 2024 list underscores that the future of artificial intelligence is being shaped by a wide variety of voices, not just those traditionally associated with the tech world.

The uproar surrounding Musk’s omission, however, suggests that many still see him as a key player in AI, regardless of his absence from the list.