Two Albanians on TIME's list/ Mira Murati and Uljan Sharka among the names shaping the future of AI

Two Albanians have been selected by the prestigious American magazine TIME on the "TIME100 AI 2026" list, which lists 100 personalities who are influencing the development and future of artificial intelligence globally.

We are talking about Mira Murati and Uljan Sharka, two names with an increasingly important role in the international technology industry.

Their selection places the two Albanians alongside some of the most prominent figures in technology and artificial intelligence in the world. This year's list includes leaders, researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs from the largest technology companies, universities, research centers, politics, business and the creative industry.

Mira Murati, from OpenAI to Thinking Machines Lab

Mira Murati, who previously held the position of chief technology officer at OpenAI, is now co-founder and CEO of the company Thinking Machines Lab.

She is also featured on the global cover of this edition of TIME , alongside some of the most recognizable names in the technology industry, including Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Ilya Sutskever.

TIME describes Murat as one of the figures who is contributing to defining how artificial intelligence will be developed and used in the coming years.

In its dedicated profile, the magazine focuses on Murat's work at Thinking Machines Lab and the company's goal to develop AI systems that are more flexible and better suited to users' needs.

The company was founded by Murat in 2025 and, according to TIME, has secured about $2 billion in seed funding. Thinking Machines Lab has also struck a deal with Nvidia to supply advanced chips, which will be used in the development of new artificial intelligence technologies.

For Murat, being included in the “TIME100 AI 2026” is another important recognition after a rapid career at the top of the technology industry. After leaving OpenAI in 2024, she chose to build her own company, returning as one of the protagonists of the global race for AI development.

Uljan Sharka, the Albanian at the head of one of the most important European AI companies

Also included in the same list is Uljan Sharka, founder and CEO of the Italian artificial intelligence company Domyn, one of the leading European companies in the sector, with a valuation of more than $2 billion.

In his profile, TIME focuses on Sharka's vision for the development of artificial intelligence and particularly on the concept of "sovereign AI," through which clients can control their data and models.

Sharka argues that artificial intelligence has not yet reached the point where fully autonomous models can easily replace employees, but warns of other risks, including the manipulation of public opinion and the automation of cyberattacks.

Domyn is particularly focused on sensitive and regulated sectors, such as finance, healthcare, governance, and defense.

One of the company's most important projects is EUROPA, a consortium led by Domyn, which in June was selected by the European Commission to receive support for building a fully open-source artificial intelligence model that will cover all 24 official languages ​​of the European Union.

The aim is to strengthen Europe's capacity to develop advanced AI technologies and use its infrastructure, at a time when the continent seeks to reduce dependence on American and Chinese models.

Domyn, backed by Abu Dhabi company G42, also plans to build in Italy one of Europe's largest supercomputers for artificial intelligence, in partnership with G42 and Nvidia.

Two Albanians on the global map of artificial intelligence
The selection of Mira Murati and Uljan Sharka in "TIME100 AI 2026" comes at a time when artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming from an experimental technology into an important part of the economy and daily life.

According to TIME, the 2026 list aims to highlight the people who are defining how AI will be developed and used in the future.

The two Albanian names on this list represent two different directions of the same race: Murati from the American center of the AI ​​industry and Sharka from the European effort to build a more independent and sovereign artificial intelligence. Adapt Politiko.al