Thomas A. Edison Awards

Achievement in Artificial Intelligence

Honoring the Greatest Artists & Thinkers of the 21st Century

Mission Statement: The Thomas A. Edison Foundation

The greatest innovator in American history, inventor of the “Incandescent Light Bulb,” “The Motion Picture Camera,” “The Phonograph,” “The Quadruplex Telegraph,” “The Alkaline Battery,” Thomas Alva Edison represents what an unique and remarkable man and the magnificent team he assembled in Menlo Park, New Jersey, can achieve. It is with that in mind that we announce the “Thomas Edison Achievement in Artificial Intelligence Awards.”

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The Awards Categories

The Lifetime Achievement Awards (Non-Voting)

I. The Edison Achievement in Artificial Intelligence: Humanity, Science & Leadership

It is with great pleasure that we announce this year’s honoree, an individual who has achieved, through a lifetime of commitment, accomplishment and deed, a singular role in the advancement of Artificial Intelligence. With the greater meaning of AI in our culture, fluctuating between villain and sainthood, there are those who have provided stability and a steady vision, able to see beyond the immediate rewards of position and wealth, to seek out the greater truths in discovery and to search for the inherent rewards in innovation. In today’s honoree, we have found one of those individuals, a person of advanced science, inspirational leadership, and abounding humanity.

II. Artificial Intelligence: Impact on Education, Society & Excellence

The greatest fear is that the arrival of AI will diminish the role of the individual, to significantly replace job categories and ultimately diminish to role of human creativity altogether. And while we acknowledge this possibility, the past thirty years of AI development has clearly revealed a world of enhanced learning and achievement. While AI may offer the possibility of mimicry and imitation, it has more often exposed a universe of unlimited achievement and creativity. AI as applied to higher education, to science and the humanities, has opened paths forward that were perhaps never explored before. We look to the most adventurous among us to receive this award and it is our great pleasure to do so.

III. The Turing Visionary Award: Honoring AI Leadership in Ethics, Safety and Societal Contribution

It is the goal of all “Stakeholders in AI” to reach a balance, to develop what is perhaps the most powerful new technology to impact society since atomic energy and with consequences of similar portent. It is with this sense of urgency that we look to “Leadership in AI Ethics and Safety.” There can be no greater challenge then to achieve the correct balance between the development of technological guardrails, “AI Responsibility” versus the continued pace of “AI Innovation.” Individuals and organizations worldwide are dedicated to the proposition of “Ethical AI,” helping to achieve the balance between the advancement of technology and the progress of humanity. We look to honor those whose work best represents that noble mission.

IV: The Hedy Lamarr Technology Award: Women Leadership in Artificial Intelligence

Acclaimed actor Hedy Lamarr was not only among Hollywood’s most provocative and beautiful leading ladies, during World War II, in the 1940s, she developed the basic foundational technology behind today’s Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth communication systems. Therefore, it is with the greatest pleasure that we honor today’s “Woman Leadership in Artificial Intelligence,” to individuals who have contributed to the foundation and principles of our scientific and technology communities. As the power of AI opens pathways to regions heretofore unknown, it is the unique and profound leadership of the gifted few that have guided us there.

The 2025 Achievement Awards (The Voting Categories: Industry Members)

I. The Intelligence Machine: The Art & Science of the Humanoid Brain

The future has arrived. We are now on a trajectory from Gen AI and ChatGPT to AGI, Advanced Generative Intelligence, a yet to be determined level of Human Intelligence. In the current ChatGPT mode, as users, we can ask questions and get detailed and sometimes very complex answers. We can prompt poetry, songs with music and lyrics, even some level of lengthier literary forms. And of course, we can prompt images, even short movies. But one thing is certain, AI created “Human Consciousness,” has not arrived, but each day, each week and month, the ChatGPTs of the world are getting much more complex, smarter, intuitive and humanlike. This award will go to the innovators, the developers of “Deep Human Intelligence in AI,” in what is a magnificent triumph of “Real-Life Human Genius.”

II. The Virtual Human Intelligence Machine: Appearance, Design & Presence

The ChatGPT era "Computer Brain" is now evolving, displaying personality, with human-like characteristics, sometimes with opinions, speaking back as a human-companion might, in some cases, manifested as a digital human, perhaps a photographic avatar of your choosing. This is not yet a humanoid robot, but it might be a “Personal Co-Pilot,” a would-be “Operating System in the Cloud” tied to your personal devices, much like the OS in the movie, “Her.” Or it might be a “Co-Pilot to your Computer Science Department,” your “24/7 Teaching Assistant Brain.” This future is now and the nominees of this awards category will be “Developers” of our current and future “Personal Intelligence Machines.”

III: The Humanoid Robot: The Physical AI Thinking Machine

The trajectory that has led from “Science Fiction” and the universal embrace of the industrial robot is now manifesting itself as today’s life-like “Humanoid Robot.” Fluid and flexible movements have replaced the “Old Fashioned” descriptive of “Robotic.” In that latest generation of “Humanoid Robots,” hand and finger manipulation have evolved to a level of “Kitchen Consciousness:” it can peel an apple and scramble an egg. And much like “The Scarecrow,” AI has provided a “ChatGPT” advanced level of perception, reasoning, and language capability. In this category, we are pleased to honor the “State of the Art” in Humanoid Robot, “The AI Thinking Machine.”

IV: The Kobe Bryant Innovation Award: AI in Sports and Technology

As an industry, Sports is a leader in the application of technology at all levels, from the Analytic breakdown of the Athlete in training and conditioning to AI as applied to the TV Broadcast. And no athlete represented the intensity of experience, application of mind, innovation, and achievement more than Kobe Bryant. It is our great honor to present this category in his name. And with the arrival of “Generative AI,” performance analysis, game strategy, injury prevention not to mention fan engagement will all be enhanced. In the coming years, coaches, and athletes as well as fans at home will have an “AI Sports Co-Pilot,” or “Analytics Einstein” to offer its two cents during any sporting event. Looking for a quick pick on draft night, ask your “Sports AI.” “The Kobe Bryant Sports Category” will become a fan favorite.

V. The Best in Cinematic AI Art: The Genius of the Filmmaker

Ever since Generative AI arrived in 2022, the focus of Hollywood has primarily been on job replacement in animation, screenwriting, deep fake actors, and locations. And while the jury is still out on its ultimate impact, the first generation of “GenAI Cinematic Auteurs,” from Hollywood professionals to YouTubers worldwide, has been an explosion in “Independent Film Making,” from shorts to full length features. AI technology has enabled highly skilled artists and technicians to reimagine the “Art of Cinema,” fashioning every category of film, from Music Videos and “Love Stories” to Film Noir and Sci-Fi. And “Social Media” and “YouTube” may have replaced the “Indie Cineplex Circuit,” but “Indie AI” is finding viewership in the hundreds of thousands and a few in the millions. In this category, we honor the “Genius of the Filmmaker.”

VI: Best in Music and AI: Technology, Artistry and Innovation

Of all art forms, it is perhaps music which surrounds us and continually fills our imagination. From the sounds of the birds, street sounds, car horns, bus exhausts, voices from a tenement windows, a song overheard from a passing iPhone, from an imaginary memory or “the will of the whisp,” sounds are what becomes music as it is organized and placed into composition. And in every generation of society, is presented with new tools or instruments to aid in that composition, from the human voice to woodwinds and a tool such as the piano, part string and part percussion. And today we have AI as a musical instrument, a crossbreed, spawn of the electronic synthesizer and cosmic brain of the “Memorex.” Does it produce music? In the hands of a novice, it can produce primitive melody, but in the hand of a musical genius it can produce something that is unique and perhaps wonderful. In this category we honor the best in AI technology, composition, and performance.

VII: Best in Cinematic Creation: Achievement in AI Technology

The trajectory in AI imagery, from the GANs breakthrough of Ian Goodfellow in 2014 to the multimodal cinematic results of today are nothing short of spectacular. Each day, each week and each month, teams of engineers and scientists dedicated to the advancement, the next level of “Cinematic Creation,” are providing tools for film makers and visual artists in the quest for artistic expression. It is nearly impossible to quantify the impact of this creative process. In a world of social media platforms and billions of computer users, the “Power to Create” is not limited to the “Artistic Community,” it is technology that gives voice and expression to global communities worldwide.

VIII: Artificial Intelligence and Art: The Creation of Human + Machine

While digital art can be traced to the introduction of computers in the 1960s, it was the personal computer and the arrival Adobe Photoshop that completely changed the creative process. And so it was that in the 90’s that 3D Art and what was called “Computational Art” emerged. And as the Internet grew and tech platforms evolved, digitally created art became ubiquitous, on Phone Screens to stadium sized AR and VR extravaganzas. However, it is with the arrival of Machine Learning and Generative AI that a next generation of “Human Intelligence + Machine Intelligence” is entering a new mainstream arena. The artists honored in this category represent a next level of creativity, what we might call “Artists of Mind and Machine.” While some critics suggest that “The Computational Movement” may lack human connection and be a form of “Cheating,” for the moment, there is tremendous enthusiasm within the art and museum community.

IX: The Agency AI Visionaries: Achievement in Global Brand Strategies

With the headwinds of the Internet at work, plus the ubiquity of social platforms and digital devices from SmartPhones and TVs to Live Events, the “Vision and Messaging of Global Brands” rival film, TV, even music in its impact on the global culture. As Marshall McLuhan said, “The Medium is the Message.” And with the addition of the creative toolkit of Artificial Intelligence, what might be called, a “Supercharged Pallet” there is little to limit the new generation of “Multimedia Artist.”  It is as if an “Olympics of Creativity” is emerging, and it is “Teams of Agency Visionaries” who are ready to work.

X: The Spectaculars: AI in Sports, Entertainment and Live Experiences

In this category we honor the achievement of the specific AI enhanced artistic experience that encompasses the stadium and arena, the multi-day pop show, a global tour, the Times Square or Piccadilly Event, The Olympics & Super Bowl, The Pageantry of New Years Eve, The Experience of “The Sphere” or a “Broadway Show.” As audiences crave “The Experience,” there is no limit to “The Artistic and Visual Imagination” in its desire to answer the call. In this category we honor the “Vision of the Creator” in reaching new and unique heights of “The Spectacular.”

XI: The Best in AI, Fashion & Design: The Campaign - The Collection – The Model – The Accessories

The world of “Fashion and Beauty” are invariably first among the global brands to embrace technology, applying it into their dramatic “Live Runway Experiences,” transforming showrooms into XR media experiences and creating sensational social media campaigns that regularly “Break the Net.” And as Fashion begins with unique and brilliant design, it is no surprise to learn that the greatest “Doyens of Design” have embraced AI technologies in their process of creation, revealing new possibilities, and breaking down barriers to what is possible. While the results may be no greater and innovative than the Parisian collections of the 1920s and 1930s, the “Vision of the Fashion Giants” today is no less culturally impactful and profound.

XII: The University Award: Excellence in Artificial Intelligence: The Commitment to Deep Learning

It is only fitting that the “Edison AI Awards” honor the role of the “University” in the advancement and commitment to future of Artificial Intelligence. After all, much of what our technology world discovers today can be traced to “The Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence in 1956.” It is remarkable to think that such an obscure meeting could have such significant consequences. Organized by John McCarthy, Marvin Minsky, Nathaniel Rochester, and Claude Shannon, that week might be considered the birth of the field of AI research. From that day forward, into the 1960s and 1970s, the world’s great research institutions, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, University of Cambridge, Stanford and Edinburgh established the standards of excellence. And today Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Deep Learning dominate global research and development at literally hundreds of universities and research institutions. In this awards category, we are proud to recognize the best in our commitment to the future of Artificial Intelligence.

XIII: The AI Start-up of the Year: Technology – Innovation - Impact

If the strength of the economy and the strength of an industry can be measured by the number and the success of the start-ups emerging, then the state of the AI industry is strong and getting stronger. Statistically, in the two years, 2022 and 2023 AI startups raised over $130 Billion Dollars. Add that statistic to the remarkable fact that many thousands of smaller teams, 1-10 person AI start-ups joined the fray in 2023. In this category, we will not only recognize the growth and success of the massively funded “Brand Name” AI start-ups, but we will survey the “Bootstrapped,” companies, those representing the “Garage Start-ups,” “The College Dorm Start-ups,” that have spawned many of the now legendary companies that dominate the technology industry.

The Awards Process: We will annoucne the 2024 - 2025 Awards Process shortly - email - Click Submission - indicating session(s) you would like to be considered - indicating day, time, and session name. We request that you include a bio of the speaker and a backgrounder of the company.

To View By Track - Click Here

The Evening Keynotes - Click Here

 I. Track One: AI: Artists of the 21st Century

II. Track Two: Virtual Humans and Robotics

III. Track Three: AI and Hollywood Production

IV. Track Four: AI and Music: Artists vs. Tech

V. Track Five: AI Startups & Investment

VI. Track Six: AI & Threats, Bias & Rights

VII: Track Seven: AI Fashion & Design

To View By Day - In Eastern Time Zone

I. The Evening Keynotes, July 22nd - 24th

II. Tuesday, July 23rd - Noon - 5 PM

III. Wednesday, July 24th - Noon - 5 PM

IV. Thursday, July 25th - Noon - 5 PM