TIME just named the “Architects of AI” as its 2025 Person of the Year, recognizing the builders behind artificial intelligence and the technology’s transformative impact on nearly every part of society. That alone should stop business leaders in their tracks. When a publication known for honoring presidents, activists, and cultural icons shifts the spotlight to a group of technologists and a category of technology, it’s a signal that something fundamental has changed.

This isn’t about hype or novelty. AI has moved from experimentation to infrastructure. It’s shaping how we search, how we shop, how we work, and how decisions get made. The people designing these systems aren’t just building tools — they’re reshaping interfaces, workflows, and expectations at a global scale. In many ways, AI is becoming the invisible layer that sits between people and the world around them.

For businesses, especially small and midsize ones, the takeaway is clear: AI is no longer optional, and it’s no longer just about efficiency. It’s about relevance. Customers are starting to interact with AI before they ever interact with your website, your content, or your sales team. If your business isn’t structured in a way AI can understand, surface, and recommend, you’re increasingly easy to overlook.

The companies that win in this next phase won’t just “use AI.” They’ll rethink how discovery works, how decisions get made, and how value is delivered when AI becomes the first touchpoint. TIME didn’t name a single person this year because the real story isn’t an individual — it’s a shift in how power, influence, and opportunity are being redistributed through technology.

And like every major shift before it, the businesses that recognize it early will have an unfair advantage.