The Top 25 Curated AI Leaders and Companies to Follow in 2024
When I first ventured into AI, one major challenge was finding the right voices and resources in a vast ocean of opinions and data.
I spent countless hours filtering through content to find what truly mattered.
Today, I'll save you that time and effort by guiding you directly to the sources that made a real impact in my AI journey.
Top AI Researchers to Follow:
Top AI researchers are trusted voices in the field, consistently providing reliable and cutting-edge insights.
Yann LeCun (@ylecun) Meta/Facebook
NYU Professor and Meta's Chief AI Scientist, LeCun is a deep learning pioneer. His insights bridge academia and industry, offering a peek into AI's future. Follow him to stay updated with transformative AI trends and research.Andrej Karphaty (@karpathy) OpenAI, Tesla
Previously a leading figure at OpenAI and former AI director at Tesla, he’s a must-follow for anyone in AI. His YouTube channel turns complex AI concepts into accessible knowledge. Following his updates keeps you at the forefront of AI innovation. He recently left OpenAI, and his next steps remain a mystery, adding an intriguing aspect to his profile.Demis Hassabis (@demishassabis) Google
As the Co-founder & CEO of DeepMind, Google's renowned AI division, Hassabis stands at the forefront of AI research and application. His journey from neuroscience at University College London to leading DeepMind's mission to "solve intelligence" has been marked by milestones like the development of AlphaGo and breakthroughs in protein folding with AlphaFold.Ilya Sutskever (@ilyasut) OpenAI
Co-founder and Chief Scientist at OpenAI, Sutskever's journey includes groundbreaking work at Google Brain and significant contributions to TensorFlow. At OpenAI, he's at the forefront of pioneering AI projects. His insights on machine learning and AI advancements are a must-follow for staying informed on the latest trends in AI technology. This interview is a 💎.Andrew NG (@AndrewYNg)
Co-founder of Coursera and a leading figure in AI, Andrew Ng's impact spans from Stanford University to Google Brain and Baidu AI Group. His extensive work in machine learning and online education, including founding DeepLearning.AI and Landing AI, makes him a seminal voice in AI. (Keep an eye out for the free courses he often shares on Twitter. 😉)
AI Thought Leaders to Follow:
AI Thought Leaders are trusted voices in the field, consistently providing reliable and cutting-edge insights.
Robert Scoble (@Scobleizer)
Robert makes navigating the AI landscape easy with his engaging podcast, "Unaligned," and his well-curated Twitter lists. His insights bridge the gap between complex AI innovations and the tech community. Following him is like having a guide through the evolving world of artificial intelligence.
Bindu Reddy (@bindureddy)
CEO of Abacus.AI, transforms the landscape of Applied AI and LLMs, drawing from her impactful experiences at AWS and Google. Her enthusiasm for human behavior and open-source AGI positions her at the vanguard of AI's evolution. Her journey from launching groundbreaking AI services at AWS to pioneering AI systems at scale showcases a deep commitment to advancing artificial intelligence.Ethan Mollick (@emollick)
Associate Professor at Wharton, delves into AI's impact on innovation, startups, and education, blending academic rigor with practical insights. Through Wharton Interactive, he pioneers the use of games and AI to democratize education, reflecting his dedication to innovative learning methods. His work, from publishing influential research to advising startups, positions him as a key figure in understanding AI's transformative role.Santiago (@svpino)
combines his passion for storytelling and machine learning on platforms like ml.school and YouTube, making complex topics accessible. With over twenty years of experience in building ML systems for companies like Disney and IBM, he's a seasoned expert who loves teaching others.
Top AI Companies to Follow:
AI Companies are powerhouses in the field, driving innovation and shaping the future of technology.
OpenAI (@OpenAI)
A trailblazer in AI research, OpenAI, renowned for its innovations like ChatGPT, GPT-4, Whisper and DALL-E, is at the forefront of AI development. This organization is pushing the boundaries of machine learning, natural language processing, and AI ethics. Following OpenAI is essential for anyone keen on the latest AI breakthroughs and applications in various fields.
Meta AI (@AIatMeta)
Meta AI is an AI research lab under Meta Platforms Inc. (formerly Facebook) driving innovation in natural language processing and computer vision. They're known for open-sourcing powerful tools like PyTorch and LLaMA, empowering developers worldwide and democratizing AI development.
DeepMind (@GoogleDeepMind)
DeepMind, a Google subsidiary, is a powerhouse in AI innovation. It's known for landmark achievements like AlphaGo and AlphaFold. Recently, they've made waves with Gemini, a large language model challenging the likes of OpenAI's GPT-4, and Bard, Google's conversational AI. Following DeepMind offers a glimpse into AI's future, from breakthroughs in neural networks to pioneering applications in various fields.
Anthropic (@AnthropicAI)
Anthropic, is an AI startup founded by ex-OpenAI members, is making waves with its groundbreaking AI chatbot, Claude, and its latest iteration, Claude 2.1. Focusing on creating AI that aligns with human values, Anthropic's Claude series stands out for its detailed, relevant responses and user-friendly interface. Initially launched in closed beta and now more widely accessible, Claude showcases Anthropic's commitment to developing advanced, ethical AI systems.
Mistral AI (@MistralAI)
Mistral AI, a French AI startup, is quickly making a name for itself in the AI world. Co-founded by experts formerly from DeepMind and Meta, Mistral AI specializes in open large language models, a notable approach in a domain often dominated by proprietary technologies. Their models, Mistral 7B and Mixtral 8x7B, demonstrate impressive capabilities in language processing, boasting billions of parameters and mastering multiple languages. These models are pushing the boundaries of AI language understanding and generation. Mistral AI's commitment to open-source AI solutions underlines their dedication to accessible and collaborative AI development.
Stability AI (StabilityAI)
Stability AI is the innovative force behind Stable Diffusion, a groundbreaking text-to-image model that has taken the AI community by storm. Known for its powerful diffusion techniques, Stability AI's Stable Diffusion allows for the generation of detailed images from text descriptions, as well as tasks like inpainting and outpainting. What sets Stability AI apart is their commitment to making AI technology more accessible. Unlike proprietary models, Stable Diffusion's code and model weights are open-sourced, enabling it to run on consumer hardware with modest GPUs. This democratization of AI tools marks a significant shift in the field, encouraging wider participation and innovation.
Midjourney (@midjourney)
Midjourney, led by David Holz, is a generative AI program revolutionizing image creation from text descriptions. Comparable to OpenAI's DALL-E, it's renowned for its stunning visuals and ease of use via a Discord bot. With Midjourney, artists and designers rapidly prototype ideas, while advertisers harness it for innovative content creation. Its evolving models, from open beta to refined versions, signify major strides in AI-driven artistry. Following Midjourney is essential to stay updated on the latest developments in AI-assisted visual creativity.
HuggingFace (@huggingface)
Hugging Face has transformed from a chatbot startup into a cornerstone of the AI community, known for its "Transformers" library that revolutionizes natural language processing. This French-American company champions open collaboration, allowing users to share machine learning models and datasets on its expansive platform. With milestones like the development of the BLOOM model and partnerships with major tech firms, Hugging Face is at the forefront of making AI more accessible and innovative.
Cohere (@cohere)
Cohere is on a mission to make language AI accessible to everyone, blending top-notch research with practical uses to create tools that understand and use language like we do. Their technology is built to be easy for developers to use, aiming to change how businesses operate with smarter, not more expensive, solutions. At its core, Cohere is a team of passionate AI experts working together to explore how language AI can open up new possibilities for the world.
Runway (@runwayml)
Runway is at the forefront of merging AI with art and creativity, known for creating powerful tools like Gen-1 and Gen-2 that transform how videos are made. Based in New York and started in 2018, their work in AI helps artists and filmmakers do amazing things, from movies to music videos. Runway is all about bringing new ideas to life with AI, making it easier for creative minds to explore and create.
Top AI Founders and Company Evangelists to Follow
Sam Altman (@sama)
Sam Altman, at the helm of OpenAI, has emerged as a pivotal figure in the AI revolution, guiding the company through significant advancements and a brief departure in 2023. His journey from a Stanford dropout to co-founding Loopt and leading Y Combinator showcases a relentless pursuit of innovation, culminating in his focus on OpenAI's transformative projects like ChatGPT. Altman's vision extends beyond OpenAI, with investments in projects like Worldcoin through Tools For Humanity, aiming at authenticating digital identities, and ventures in life extension and AI-powered technologies, marking him as a visionary shaping the future of AI and its intersection with humanity.
Clément Delangue (@ClementDelangue)
Clément Delangue's journey from a young entrepreneur in France to the CEO of Hugging Face showcases his commitment to revolutionizing AI through collaboration. Rejecting a secure path with companies like Google, he chose innovation, co-founding Hugging Face to democratize AI development. Under his leadership, Hugging Face has grown into a pivotal platform for AI, valued at $4.5 billion, making advanced AI accessible to all.
Arthur Mensch (@arthurmensch)
Arthur Mensch, the dynamic CEO of Mistral AI, brings his rich background in machine learning and applied mathematics to spearhead the company's innovative direction. With an impressive academic lineage from École Polytechnique and deep research experience from Inria to DeepMind Paris, Mensch has been at the forefront of AI development, especially in language models. His leap in 2023 to co-found Mistral AI marks a new chapter in making AI more accessible and powerful, reflecting his dedication to pushing the boundaries of AI technology and its applications.
Emad Mostaque (@EMostaque)
Emad Mostaque, founder of Stability AI and key figure behind Stable Diffusion, has significantly influenced the AI world with his commitment to open-source innovation. His journey from a mathematician at Oxford to leading one of the most pivotal AI companies showcases his dedication to making AI accessible and beneficial for all. Stepping down as CEO to explore decentralized AI, Mostaque continues to push the boundaries of technology, ensuring AI remains a tool for widespread creative and intellectual exploration.
David Holz (@DavidSHolz)
David Holz is the Founder of Midjourney, is a generative artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platform that allows users to generate unique artwork such as characters, images and depictions through short text prompts. Midjourney was founded in 2021. David was formerly CTO & Co-founder of Leap Motion, now Ultraleap, the world’s most advanced hand-tracking technology.
The End
Starting out with AI can be rough! It's like being lost in a giant sea of info, with everyone shouting advice. I spent tons of time sifting through stuff to find what really mattered. This post is your cheat sheet! I'm sharing the best resources that helped me on my AI adventure. Let's dive in together!