No technology can stop an avalanche. But the tragedy of events like Wednesday's is that the fatal interval between the trigger high in the mountains and the flood wave reaching villages downstream  is often 20 minutes to a few hours. That window is exactly where artificial intelligence, coupled with sensors and satellites, earns its keep.

AI is already reshaping how gemstones get sold globally: visual search tools that let a buyer photograph a stone and find similar ones, AI chatbots that can answer basic buyer questions in multiple languages at 3 a.m. Colombo time, and generative tools that help small exporters produce professional product photography and listings