H2O.ai Opens Nominations for the 2026 AI 100 Awards, Honoring the Most Influential Leaders in Artificial Intelligence

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.

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.

About H2O.ai

Founded in 2012, H2O.ai is on a mission to democratize artificial intelligence. As the world’s leading Agentic AI company, H2O.ai converges generative and predictive AI to help enterprises and public sector agencies build secure, purpose-built GenAI applications on their private data.

Trusted by over 20,000 organizations worldwide, including more than half of the Fortune 500, H2O.ai powers AI transformation for organizations such as AT&T, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Singtel, Chipotle, Workday, Progressive Insurance, and the National Institutes of Health.

H2O.ai partners include Dell Technologies, Deloitte, NVIDIA, Snowflake, AWS, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and VAST Data.

Through its AI for Good program, H2O.ai also supports nonprofit organizations and global initiatives advancing AI for education, healthcare, and environmental sustainability.

H2O.ai has raised $256 million in funding from investors including Commonwealth Bank, NVIDIA, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, Capital One, Nexus Venture Partners, and New York Life.