Science and Technology Daily: The software industry will not come to an end; it is only being reshaped by AI. The ongoing technological revolution is driving profound changes across all sectors, prompting continuous innovation and adaptation. As AI technologies advance, they are transforming traditional software development, improving efficiency, and opening new possibilities for future growth. Despite challenges, the industry remains dynamic and resilient, ensuring its vital role in economic and social development for years to come.

Will AI (Artificial Intelligence) End the Software Industry?
Recently, the market and industry have been voting with their actions on this hot topic. Concerns on Wall Street in the United States about AI impacting the software sector continue to ferment, leading to a sell-off in software stocks, which has quickly spread to global markets. Meanwhile, voices from the tech community are diverging. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang directly stated that the view that “AI will replace software tools” is “illogical”; OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also said that the ways software is created, used, and its business models are undergoing profound changes, but “software will not disappear.”

The trigger for this wave of controversy was the impact of AI startup Anthropic’s vertical tools on traditional software functions: this AI legal plugin can perform multiple document tasks, including tracking compliance issues and reviewing legal documents, which are core functions of many legal software products. When AI can automatically complete a large amount of work that previously relied on specialized software, the market inevitably questions: if AI can directly accomplish these tasks, do we still need standalone software?

This pessimism has evolved from the impact of a single AI tool to a reassessment of the overall business model of the software industry, ultimately pointing to a core question—whether the SaaS (Software as a Service) business model is being shaken by AI.

Over the past decade, the subscription-based, continuously updated, highly sticky SaaS model has been the most stable growth engine in the software industry. But now, this is no longer “a given.” With the rapid development of generative AI and intelligent agent technology, users only need to specify their needs, and AI can analyze, generate reports, or even automate workflows. The value of software as an intermediary layer is beginning to be compressed. As intelligent agents become more capable of cross-system calls, integrating multiple software functions into a single conversation or command, the presence of individual software products is further weakened.

Meanwhile, the enhancement of AI code generation capabilities has significantly shortened software development cycles and lowered entry barriers. The industry is shifting from “labor-intensive production” to “intelligent production,” and traditional business models centered on features and subscriptions are facing direct challenges.

But in the longer term, AI will not end the software industry; rather, it is rewriting its operational logic. The software development paradigm is shifting from “humans write code + tool assistance” to “humans define goals + AI generates implementation.” Developers are transitioning from code producers to system designers and AI collaborators. The way software is used is also changing—from tools that require learning to operate, to intelligent systems that understand needs and proactively execute tasks. Future software competition will no longer be just about features or richness, but about intelligence level and industry understanding depth.

More importantly, AI is creating new software spaces. Infrastructure needs such as model training platforms, data engineering, AI security, and evaluation systems are rapidly growing; industries like manufacturing, healthcare, and finance are upgrading to intelligent systems that require a large amount of “AI + industry knowledge”; and AI technologies represented by intelligent agents are opening up application ecosystems. These new fields, in turn, demand higher software engineering capabilities and are fostering new industry opportunities.

Therefore, rather than saying AI will end the software industry, it is more accurate to say it is ending the “old software era.” Software will not disappear, but its form, development methods, and business models are being comprehensively reshaped. Companies that can deeply integrate AI capabilities with industry scenarios will gain greater space in this new wave of industrial transformation; traditional software companies lacking technological and scenario barriers may accelerate their淘汰 in this restructuring. The software industry is not heading toward an end but is entering a new stage centered on intelligence.

(Original source: Science and Technology Daily)