26 Quietly Powerful People Shaping the Future of AI
archive.today webpage capture Saved from history←priornext→ 6 Nov 2026 17:30:54 UTC All snapshots from host nymag.com WebpageScreenshot sharedownload .zipreport bug or abuseBuy me a coffee SUBSCRIBE SIGN IN NOV. 2, 2026 26 Technologist Portraits (2026). Digital image: AI image generation, VHS tape, digital import. Art: Simon Denny THE POWER ISSUE So Few People, So Much Influence The future of AI will be shaped by a few dozen engineers, founders, and thinkers. It’s time you got to know them. By The Editors This article was featured in New York’s One Great Story newsletter. Sign up here. AI has minted a new power structure. A handful of private companies command the might and wealth of small nation-states and are mostly left to self-govern. A few dozen employees are on the brink of becoming centimillionaires and considering which causes and presidential candidates they will funnel their vast resources toward. The industry is perpetually one breakthrough away from a step change in ca