Stanford University has long been a hub for artificial intelligence (AI) innovation, from its extensive computer science major to its world-class research labs.
2025 was a big year for technology, with several Stanford graduates and researchers leading the AI revolution.
Choi Ye Jin
Choi, an advocate of the efficient use of AI, joined the Stanford Human-Centered AI Institute (HAI) in January to research small language models (SLMs). In a recent talk at NeurIPS, the leading annual conference in machine learning, Choi said he wants to turn the “more is better” mentality on its head and enhance SLM inference capabilities to match the inference capabilities of large-scale models.
Choi's main interest in this field is to build a general and adaptable model for molecular discovery and multidimensional alignment, which aims to integrate diverse perspectives in AI using democratic values. Mr. Choi is a MacArthur Fellow. In 2025, he was featured on the Time100 AI list.
carlos gestelin
Guestrin, a computer science professor, was appointed last year as the new director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (SAIL). He has helped lead joint efforts with HAI. His personal research focuses on interpretability, or validating AI output to understand how AI models work and build trust.
Guestrin is best known for his contributions to the popular machine learning library XGBoost and the GraphLab project for scalable machine learning. Guestrin also served as principal investigator for Visual Layer and Virtue AI.
Feifei Li
Lee, known as the “Godmother of AI,” is co-director of HAI. She led a report on generative AI governance proposals to California Governor Gavin Newsom in June. The report was incorporated into the Frontier Artificial Intelligence Transparency Act (SB53) in September. She also contributed to the publication of the 2025 AI Index Report. The startup she founded, World Labs, is currently pioneering the frontiers of spatial intelligence and building models that interact with the 3D world.
Last year, Lee won the Queen Elizabeth Engineering Award and the Time100 AI Award.
Jensen Huang '92
Huang founded Nvidia, which makes advanced chips that power the growing field of AI. Under Huang's leadership, Nvidia became the first company with a market value of more than $5 trillion in October. Mr. Huang is currently the eighth richest person in the world.
Last year, Huang continued to emphasize the importance of AI to national infrastructure and global GDP. He was named one of TIME's People of the Year Architects of AI.
Dario Amodei '06
Amodei was also recognized by TIME magazine as one of its “AI Architects.” He is the co-founder and CEO of Anthropic, which created the AI assistant Claude. Last year, Amodei led the company through one of its fastest growth periods, including the release of new and popular basic tools with improved inference capabilities, such as Claude Opus and Claude Code. He also publicly advocated for stronger AI regulation, especially after Anthropic thwarted a Chinese-led cyberattack in November.
