We're making this analogy that AI is the new electricity. Electricity transformed industries: agriculture, transportation, communication, manufacturing.

The quote “We’re making this analogy that AI is the new electricity. Electricity transformed industries: agriculture, transportation, communication, manufacturing.” by Andrew Ng draws a powerful parallel between two of the most transformative forces in human history: artificial intelligence and electricity. By comparing AI to electricity, Ng emphasizes its potential to revolutionize every aspect of modern life, just as electricity did in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Andrew Ng, a renowned AI researcher and co-founder of Google Brain and Coursera, has been a leading voice in demystifying AI and advocating for its practical adoption. In this quote, he explains that AI will not be confined to a single domain; instead, it will reshape entire industries — from farming and transportation to manufacturing and communication — much like how electricity once powered the Industrial Revolution and changed the way we live and work.

The comparison also serves to highlight the ubiquity and enabling power of AI. Just as electricity became a foundational infrastructure that allowed new innovations to flourish, Ng sees AI as a new layer of intelligence that will be embedded across technologies, automating tasks, optimizing systems, and enabling smarter decision-making across countless sectors.

This quote originates from Ng’s talks and writings promoting the broader understanding of AI’s societal impact, particularly as part of his efforts to train professionals and businesses in adopting machine learning. It’s a rallying cry for embracing AI not as a distant, abstract technology, but as an immediate and practical force — one with the power to shape the future just as electricity reshaped the past.