Navigate this fast-moving moment with Luminary Labs’ curated list of experts across disciplines.
Every leader needs trusted guides who can cut through the noise and point them toward what actually matters. In the current AI moment, we all need informed experts who can help us stay ahead of the curve.
Luminary Labs conducted a crowdsourcing survey to ask our extensive network of partners, collaborators, and clients across sectors: “Who or what are your go-to sources for AI-related updates and insights?” The result is a curated list of leading experts thinking deeply about how AI is transforming business and society.
Given the pace of change, potential for impact, and the many unknowns, it’s more important than ever to consume balanced information and consult a range of perspectives. We’ve organized this list into four broad categories: industry and business strategy, technical education and practical application, interdisciplinary and creative exploration, and critical perspectives and ethics. Resources in each section will help leaders understand how AI is transforming life and business today, gain practical tips for real application, and understand what the future holds. The final category elevates critics and scholars asking important questions about the ethical implications of AI. Build your own virtual advisory board with experts in multiple topics, sectors, and disciplines; these voices will help you stay ahead of the curve while maintaining the nuanced thinking this moment demands.
Industry and business strategy
Azeem Azhar is a technology analyst who specializes in understanding how AI and emerging technologies are reshaping society and business. His weekly newsletter, Exponential View, identifies the most significant tech developments and their implications for the next 3-5 years.
Jack Clark is a co-founder of Anthropic and former OpenAI policy director. His weekly Import AI newsletter provides an insider’s view into the latest AI research papers, policy developments, and technical breakthroughs.
Tyler Cowen is a George Mason University economics professor who applies economic thinking to analyze AI developments and their broader implications. His blog, Marginal Revolution, explores a range of topics and policy questions shaping the economy.
Meghana Dhar is a consumer tech insider who has held senior partnership roles at Instagram, eBay, and Snapchat. Her commentary helps readers understand how AI is being integrated into social media, e-commerce, and consumer-facing applications.
Charlene Li is a digital transformation leader and founder of Altimeter, a research and advisory firm that helps organizations navigate technological change and digital disruption.
Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor collaborate on “AI Snake Oil,” the book and newsletter of the same name, dedicated to demystifying AI for researchers, policymakers, journalists, and enthusiasts.
Ben Thompson writes and speaks on business strategy and platform economics. His Stratechery newsletter and blog place AI developments within the broader context of the tech ecosystem and market dynamics.
Pivot 5 is a daily newsletter designed for busy executives and business leaders who want to stay informed without getting overwhelmed by technical details.
Christian Ulstrup helps organizational leaders successfully implement AI strategies. His posts focus on factors that determine whether AI initiatives succeed or fail within real business environments.
Topic focus: future of health and scientific discovery
Digital Medicine Society (DiME) is a global nonprofit organization that serves as the professional hub for digital medicine, working to accelerate the adoption of digital health technologies. The DiME Slack community connects practitioners and resources across the field.
Essential Technology is a Substack newsletter from Convergent Research that explores how emerging technologies, including AI, can be developed and deployed to address humanity’s most pressing challenges.
John Halamka, President of Mayo Clinic Platform and a leading expert on healthcare technology implementation, is known for his practical insights on deploying AI and digital health solutions in clinical settings.
Human Readable is a newsletter from Astera, a think tank focused on technology governance and scientific progress, that translates complex technical developments into accessible insights for policymakers and the public.
Nikhil Krishnan writes Out of Pocket, a popular healthcare newsletter that combines sharp industry analysis with humor to explain how technology, including AI, is disrupting healthcare business models and patient care.
Fei-Fei Li is a Stanford professor and co-director of the Human-Centered AI Institute. She has become a leading voice on AI’s potential to transform healthcare while emphasizing the need for human-centered design.
Benjamin Reinhardt is a researcher, writer, and founder of Speculative Technologies. His blog explores the intersection of emerging technology, innovation systems, and how new technologies like AI actually get developed and deployed in practice.
Karandeep Singh serves as Chief AI Officer at UC San Diego and co-chairs the Coalition for Health AI’s (CHAI) Generative AI Work Group, positioning him at the forefront of implementing AI in academic medicine and healthcare systems.
Eric Topol is a cardiologist, researcher, and writer who explores AI’s impact in healthcare. His newsletter explores AI applications in medical research and its clinical implications.
Topic focus: future of work and education
Charter is a publication that provides in-depth coverage on the modern workplace, including research-driven reporting on how AI is transforming work, management practices, and organizational leadership.
Alex Kotran is co-founder and CEO of The AI Education Project, dedicating the last decade to understanding and addressing AI’s human impacts, particularly in educational settings. His newsletter focuses on practical strategies for helping educators and students adapt to an AI-transformed world without being displaced or disadvantaged by these changes.
Dr. Andrew Ng is an influential figure in AI education and entrepreneurship. As founder of DeepLearning.AI and co-founder of Coursera, he’s taught millions of people worldwide through online courses and training programs. His weekly newsletter, The Batch, provides practical industry insights and news.
Erin Mote is CEO of InnovateEDU, working to transform education systems through strategic policy initiatives, including the EDSAFE AI Alliance. Erin’s posts focus on helping educational institutions and policymakers navigate large-scale changes, with particular attention to ensuring equity and access.
Audrey Watters is an observer of education technology. Through her blog and newsletter, she provides critical analysis of edtech claims while advocating for students’ digital rights and agency in an increasingly surveilled educational environment.
Topic focus: climate impacts and sustainability
Boris Gamazaychikov leads AI Sustainability at Salesforce and was named to The Independent’s 2024 Climate 100 for his leadership at the intersection of AI and environmental action. He focuses on making AI development more sustainable while also leveraging AI to solve climate challenges.
David Stearns hosts the Business for Social Responsibility’s podcast series on responsible and sustainable AI that explores the environmental and social impacts of AI development and deployment.
Environmental Variables is a podcast from the Green Software Foundation that focuses on ways to reduce the carbon footprint of software development and digital infrastructure.
Technical education and practical application
Conor Grennan is Chief AI Architect at NYU Stern School of Business, where he’s leading the institution’s AI adoption efforts. As founder of AI Mindset, he develops practical frameworks that focus on the behavioral and mindset changes needed for successful AI integration, beyond just technical training.
Ethan Mollick is a Wharton professor who has become one of the most influential voices in practical AI education through his newsletter, One Useful Thing. His research-based approach provides actionable insights about how AI actually works in real-world applications, from education to business strategy.
Every is a media company that combines technology journalism with practical AI education and consulting services. Its daily newsletter explores how AI is changing work, creativity, and business strategy.
The Gradient is a nonprofit providing in-depth analysis of AI research and its implications. Its publication bridges the gap between academic research papers and mainstream tech coverage.
LangChain’s official YouTube channel provides comprehensive tutorials for developers building AI applications using their framework for connecting language models with external data and tools.
Simon Willison is a software engineer and AI researcher who provides technically rigorous analysis of AI developments. His newsletter breaks down complex AI research, tools, and techniques from a developer’s perspective.
There’s an AI For That tracks AI tools and solutions; the platform’s daily newsletter shares tools and industry updates.
Interdisciplinary and creative exploration
Lex Fridman is an AI researcher at MIT who hosts one of the most popular long-form podcasts in technology, featuring deep conversations with leading figures in AI, science, politics, and philosophy.
Harry Law is a historian of science with deep technical AI experience as a former Google DeepMind researcher. His newsletter, Learning From Examples, explores how knowledge and learning have evolved throughout history.
Eryk Salvaggio is a researcher and artist who explores how AI systems reflect and shape cultural values through his creative practice and academic work. He shares his work in a newsletter, Cybernetic Forests.
Robin Sloan is a novelist and technology writer exploring the creative and aesthetic dimensions of AI through his “lab notebook” and experimental media projects. His work combines literary sensibility with hands-on creative computing.
Nicholas Thompson is CEO of The Atlantic. As co-founder of SpeakEasy AI, he’s advancing AI tools to create platforms for more constructive online dialogue.
Baratunde Thurston uses humor and storytelling to explore the deeply human side of the AI revolution. His video series, Life With Machines, asks “how can these machines help us become more human?”
Jasmine Sun is an anthropologist and writer who studies Silicon Valley culture and the race toward artificial general intelligence (AGI) from an ethnographic perspective. Her newsletter explores the social dynamics, power structures, and cultural beliefs driving AI development.
Critical perspectives and ethics
Emily Bender is a computational linguist who studies large language models and AI ethics. She co-authored “The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want.” She posts links and updates on Bluesky.
Ruha Benjamin is a Princeton professor and 2024 MacArthur Fellow who studies how technology perpetuates racial inequality and social injustice. Her newsletter, Seeding the Future, provides both academic analysis and hopeful visions for creating more equitable technology that serves all communities.
Joy Buolamwini is a computer scientist and digital activist who founded the Algorithmic Justice League after discovering that facial recognition systems had dramatically higher error rates for women and people of color. Her newsletter unpacks topics including AI bias and equitable technology standards.
Critical AI is an interdisciplinary academic journal that brings together scholars from humanities, social sciences, and arts with technologists, policymakers, and community leaders to examine AI’s societal impacts.
Kevin De Liban is a public interest attorney and founder of TechTonic Justice, an organization fighting against AI systems that harm vulnerable populations, particularly people in low-income communities.
Karen Hao previously served as the AI editor at MIT Technology Review and as a foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal. She reports on the societal implications of AI and is the author of the recently published book “Empire of AI.”
Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin co-host the Center for Humane Technology’s podcast, Your Undivided Attention. The show features conversations about how AI and emerging technologies are reshaping society.
Emily Tucker is the Executive Director at the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law, where she is also an adjunct professor of law. She is a frequent contributor to Tech Policy Press.