General-Purpose Technologies

A general-purpose technology is a foundational technology that can be used across many sectors, improves over time, and stimulates complementary innovations. Artificial intelligence fits this description because the same core capabilities, such as learning patterns, prediction, generation and optimisation, can be adapted to numerous scientific and industrial tasks rather than serving only one purpose.

Why AI has general-purpose character

AI displays the three central features associated with a general-purpose technology: pervasiveness, continuing technical improvement and innovation complementarities.

• AI performs cross-cutting cognitive tasks, including classification, forecasting, language processing and decision support, across different domains.
• Advances in algorithms, computing power and data can improve capabilities that are reusable in many applications.
• AI induces complementary innovation in software, machinery, skills, organisational processes and business models.

Role in scientific research

AI can augment several stages of the research cycle, making it an instrument of discovery rather than merely an automation tool.

• It can search scientific literature and extract relationships from large bodies of knowledge.
• Machine learning can detect patterns in complex datasets, improve simulations and help rank hypotheses or candidate materials and molecules.
• AI can assist experimental design and automate selected laboratory workflows, while validation and causal interpretation remain dependent on domain experts.

Role in industrial production

In industry, AI connects digital intelligence with physical production through automation, prediction and optimisation.

• AI supports product design, process control, visual quality inspection and predictive maintenance.
• It can improve demand forecasting, inventory management, logistics and energy use across supply chains.
• Its productivity gains require complementary investments in reliable data, computing infrastructure, skilled workers and redesigned work processes.
• Therefore, AI's general-purpose impact arises from widespread diffusion and human-machine complementarity, not from the technology operating independently.