Artificial intelligence is increasingly being compared to electricity — not merely as another technology, but as a foundational force reshaping entire industries and everyday life. In a Medium analysis, the author argues that just as electrification powered the Industrial Revolution by enabling new machines and business models, AI today is becoming an invisible utility that underpins modern innovation, productivity and service delivery across sectors.
The article explains that AI’s most profound impact isn’t in performing isolated tasks, but in augmenting and automating decision-making processes at scale. From optimising supply chains and enabling personalised healthcare, to powering autonomous systems and analysing complex data, AI is increasingly embedded into core workflows. This mirrors how electricity expanded far beyond lighting to become the backbone of industry, communication and transportation.
A key theme is that companies and societies that leverage AI effectively — integrating it deeply into their operations rather than treating it as a siloed tool — are more likely to reap transformative benefits. The analogy to electricity highlights network effects: the greater the integration and interconnectivity of AI systems, the more innovation and value they can generate, often in unforeseen ways.
The piece also cautions that, like electrification, AI adoption will require thoughtful infrastructure, governance and equitable access. Without supportive policies, investment in skills and ethical frameworks, the advantages of AI could concentrate in a few regions or firms, exacerbating social and economic divides. In that sense, the future of AI will depend not only on technology itself but on how societies build inclusive systems that harness AI for broad-based growth.
