From Stanford to Meta: Nigerian AI Pioneer Sanmi Koyejo Named in 2026 TIME100 AI List

In a historic milestone for African intellect on the global stage, Nigerian AI researcher and entrepreneur Sanmi Koyejo has been officially named in the prestigious 2026 TIME100 AI List. This recognition honors his pioneering contributions to making artificial intelligence more reliable, secure, and equitable. At a time when the world is grappling with the ethical guardrails of rapid machine learning adoption, Koyejo’s inclusion underscores the vital role African experts are playing in steering the direction of global technology.

Koyejo, who serves as the director of Stanford University’s Trustworthy AI Research Lab (STAIR), has spent the better part of his career dissecting the limitations of artificial intelligence models. As the co-founder of the cutting-edge AI security startup Virtue AI, his work has consistently focused on translating theoretical algorithms into dependable systems that perform safely when deployed in high-stakes, real-world environments.

His exceptional research trajectory recently caught the attention of global tech behemoth Meta. In a highly publicized industry move, Meta announced it had hired Koyejo alongside his Virtue AI co-founders, Dawn Song and Bo Li, to join its elite Superintelligence Labs. In this new capacity, Koyejo is expected to play a pivotal role in Meta’s Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) division, where he will help design security protocols for the next generation of generative AI models.

Beyond his technical brilliance, Koyejo is widely celebrated for his advocacy for racial equity in the tech sector. Having served for five years as the president of Black in AI, an international organization dedicated to increasing the representation of Black researchers in artificial intelligence, he has been instrumental in opening doors for thousands of African engineers, ensuring that the future of global AI is inclusive and diverse.