New Delhi, May 30 -- Artificial intelligence (AI) is often treated as a discrete branch of information technology, surrounded by fears of sentient machines, widespread job losses and existential risks.

These reactions are understandable but short-sighted. AI is not just a product or tool.It is an enabling layer, much like electricity, the internet or aviation, that can permeate and power every aspect of life.

Electricity offers a useful parallel. In the 19th century, Edison and Tesla fought bitterly over the future of current, with Edison backing direct current (DC) and Tesla championing alternating current (AC).

Edison went so far as to electrocute animals to discredit AC. But common sense and scalability prevailed, and AC became the ...