The global program recognizes 100 individuals shaping the future of AI across enterprise, government, research, and AI for good
Winners of the H2O AI 100 Awards are featured on the Nasdaq MarketSite tower in Times Square, New York. The annual program recognizes leaders driving real-world impact with artificial intelligence across enterprise, government, research, and AI for good.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--H2O.ai, the leading Agentic AI company and a pioneer in Sovereign AI with secure, on-premise and air-gapped deployments, today announced that nominations are open for the 2026 H2O AI 100 Awards, recognizing 100 individuals worldwide who are shaping the future of artificial intelligence through innovation, leadership, and real-world impact.
Now in its third year, the AI 100 has quickly become a global platform recognizing leaders deploying AI in meaningful ways across business, government, research, and society. Last year’s honorees included executives from major global banks such as TD Bank, Bank of America, and Commonwealth Bank of Australia, as well as leaders from companies including AT&T, NVIDIA, and Cisco.
“The H2O AI 100 recognizes 100 individuals worldwide who are shaping the future of artificial intelligence through innovation, leadership, and real-world impact..”
Winners of the 2026 AI 100 will be celebrated at a flagship awards event in New York City in spring 2026, including a global activation at the Nasdaq MarketSite tower in Times Square and a private reception at Nasdaq. The event will bring together AI leaders, innovators, policymakers, and executives from across industries for a series of discussions on the future of enterprise AI.
The AI 100 highlights a diverse and global community of AI leaders, from Fortune 100 executives and government officials to researchers, founders, and open-source contributors.
The 2026 H2O AI 100 will recognize leaders across four categories:
Global Visionaries
Iconic public figures, founders, and AI pioneers shaping the long-term future of technology and society.
Enterprise Leaders
Senior executives and decision-makers driving large-scale AI adoption within global enterprises.
AI Makers – Builders, Founders & Operators
Hands-on innovators building and deploying AI systems in the real world, including engineers, researchers, startup founders, and product leaders.
AI for Good
Individuals using AI to advance the public good across healthcare, education, climate, government, and nonprofit initiatives.
Nominees will be evaluated based on the real-world impact of their work with AI, including measurable business outcomes, societal impact, and leadership in responsible and trustworthy AI development.
The final AI 100 winners will be announced in June 2026, culminating in the New York awards celebration and Nasdaq activation.
Nominations are now open.
To submit a nomination, visit the H2O.ai AI 100 Awards portal.
H2O.ai created the industry's trusted Sovereign AI Platform because organizations should own their AI: their agents, models, data, and results, run anywhere from cloud to air-gapped.
Super Agent orchestrates predictive, generative, and agentic AI in one system, with observability and governance, empowering regulated and public sector organizations to get value from AI. Moving from pilot to production takes expertise, from top-ranked data scientists, including Kaggle Grandmasters, to forward-deployed engineers embedded with customer teams.
Built on a decade of open source, H2O.ai is trusted by 20,000+ organizations, half the Fortune 500. AT&T, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Workday, Progressive Insurance, and NIH rely on H2O.ai to cut cost and risk and own their AI future.
Through its AI for Good program, H2O.ai applies technology and investment to non-profits and academia solving hard problems in health, education, and the environment.
Learn more at h2o.ai.