The Future of AI: Nvidia Chief Compares Artificial Intelligence to Electricity

In the world of technology, there are hardly any fixed conventions, especially when it comes to defining resources and comparing them. Jen-Hsun Huang, CEO of Nvidia, recently introduced artificial intelligence (AI) into such a discussion in a remarkable way. In his view, AI could be treated like electricity—as a type of resource or commodity. During a recent earnings report highlighted by financial services provider Motley Fool, Huang stated: "Just as we generate electricity, we will now generate AI. And when the number of customers is large, just like the number of electricity consumers, these generators will run around the clock." What initially sounds like a clever marketing move turned out to be a sincere announcement from Huang, who continued: "Today, many AI services run around the clock, just like an AI factory. And we will see this new system come online, which I call an AI factory, because it comes closest to that reality." Some may find this analogy exaggerated, like the image of an "AI meter" in households. However, fundamentally, Huang makes a point when he observes that anything that can be traded, bought, or sold can be a commodity or a resource. In this regard, AI could indeed be viewed in this way. This suggests that we may be at the beginning of a significant shift that shifts value creation towards AI. Ultimately, Huang's assessment that more and more companies will shift from conventional CPU coding to GPU-based machine learning could lay the foundation for future discussions on value. The question of what we consider valuable might increasingly extend to the possibilities of AI.