Arvind Krishna, chief executive officer of International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), in San Francisco, July 13, 2022.David Paul MorrisBloomberg/Getty ImagesBy Ayesha JavedFebruary 10, 2025 5:33 PM ESTArvind Krishna, CEO, chairman and president of IBM, used his acceptance speech at the TIME100 AI Impact Awards on Monday to acknowledge pioneering computer scientist and mathematician Claude Shannon, calling him one of the unsung heroes of today.Krishna, who accepted his award at a ceremony in Dubai alongside musician Grimes, California Institute of Technology professor Anima Anandkumar, and artist Refik Anadol, said of Shannon, He would come up with the ways that you can convey information, all of which has stood the test until today.In 1948, Shannonnow known as the father of the information agepublished A Mathematical Theory of Communication, a transformative paper that, by proposing a simplified way of quantifying information via bits, would go on to fundamentally shape the development of information technologyand thus, our modern era. In his speech, Krishna also pointed to Shannons work building robotic mice that solved mazes as an example of his enjoyment of play within his research.Krishna, of course, has some familiarity with what it takes to be at the cutting edge. Under his leadership, IBM, known as a pioneer in artificial intelligence itself, is carving its own niche in specialized AI and invests heavily in quantum computing researchthe mission to build a machine based on quantum principles, which could carry out calculations much faster than existing computers. The business also runs a cloud computing service, designs software, and operates a consulting business.Krishna said that he most enjoyed Shannons work because the researchers simple insights have helped contribute to the most sophisticated communication systems of today, including satellites. Speaking about Shannons theoretical work, which Krishna said was a precursor to neural networks, he noted, I think we can give him credit for building the first elements of artificial intelligence.The TIME100 AI Impact Awards Dubai was presented by the World Government Summit and the Museum of the Future.More Must-Reads from TIMEInside Elon Musks War on WashingtonIntroducing the 2025 ClosersColman Domingo Leads With Radical LoveWhy, Exactly, Is Alcohol So Bad for You?The Motivational Trick That Makes You Exercise Harder11 New Books to Read in FebruaryHow to Get Better at Doing Things AloneColumn: Trumps Trans Military Ban Betrays Our TroopsWrite to Ayesha Javed at ayesha.javed@time.com