Services as Software:
How AI is Flipping the Script on SaaS

Think about traditional SaaS – you pay for tools like Salesforce or HubSpot, then your team has to learn them and actually do the work. It’s like buying a fancy kitchen – you still need to cook the meals yourself.

But AI is changing the model. Instead of giving you tools to do the work, future platforms will basically say “Tell me what you want, and I’ll handle it.” It’s more like having a personal chef who just asks what kind of dinner you’re in the mood for.

Here’s what’s cool about this shift:

• You just describe what you want in plain language – no more clicking through complex menus or watching tutorial videos. Want to launch a marketing campaign? Just tell the AI what you’re trying to achieve, and it maps out the details.
• These AI services can run on autopilot. They’ll make decisions, adjust strategies, and get stuff done while you focus on bigger picture tasks. Imagine an AI that doesn’t just give you marketing tools, but actually runs your entire marketing operation – creating content, managing ads, and optimizing campaigns automatically.
• The really cool part is how it can adapt to each customer. Instead of everyone getting the same rigid software, AI can adjust its approach based on specific situations. It’s like having custom software without the custom price tag.
• We’re already seeing this trend start to happen. Instead of giving you email marketing software, platforms like Jasper and Copy.ai just write the emails for you. Rather than providing complicated design tools, Canva’s Magic Design just creates what you need based on a description.

Looking ahead, this could get pretty wild. Instead of buying project management software, you might just tell an AI “Make a plan to  launch the new version by September” and it handles all the coordination. Rather than wrestling with accounting software, you might just say “Keep my books in order and let me know if anything needs attention.”

The big shift is that you’ll be buying outcomes instead of tools. You won’t need a team of people who are experts in using specific software – you’ll just need to be clear about what you want to achieve.

We’re still in the early days. The tech needs to evolve, and we’ll have to figure out things like reliability and control. But the direction is clear – AI is turning software from something you operate into something that operates for you.