# Welcome to the Artificial Age

> AI leaders face alienation from society as they shape humanity's future.
- Title: Welcome to the Artificial Age · Vanity Fair | Shortify
- Summary: AI leaders face alienation from society as they shape humanity's future. The New Establishment 2026 list features AI pioneers who are increasingly at odds…
- Keywords: new establishment 2026, sam altman, openai, artificial intelligence, elton musk, kaitlan collins, pope leo xiv, meredith kopit levien, zohran mamdani, Welcome, Artificial, Age
- Source: Vanity Fair — https://vanityfair.com/story/new-establishment-editors-letter-2026
- Author: Mark Guiducci
- Published: 2026-10-05T11:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ai, new establishment 2026, sam altman, openai, artificial intelligence, elton musk, kaitlan collins, pope leo xiv, meredith kopit levien, zohran mamdani
## Vanity Fair's New Establishment
Vanity Fair first published the New Establishment list in 1994 tracking shifts in power from old white men to younger white men and oprah.
## The Old Establishment
The old establishment was a multigenerational cohort of ivy league-educated brahmins and knickerbockers who presided over the 20th century.
## The New Establishment in the 1990s
In the 1990s the new establishment was telecom entertainment and early internet pioneers who cowboied the information age.
## The New Establishment Returns
Vanity Fair's new establishment list returns after a decade-long dormancy to document ai cryptocurrency and political business intersections.
## The New Establishment's Controversy
The new establishment includes controversial figures like elon musk kaitlan collins pope leo xiv and new york city mayor zohran mamdani.
## Sam Altman's Role
Sam altman is an ai pioneer who feels mischaracterized but hopes his influence will be understood before becoming more powerful than a president.
## The Future of the New Establishment
The new establishment faces alienation from society as they shape humanity's future through ai and political business intersections.
## Key takeaway

The New Establishment 2026 list features AI pioneers who are increasingly at odds with mainstream society while shaping the future of human civilization.