Vijoy Pandey’s Post

This vision challenges designers, architects, and developers to rethink how applications are built as we head into 2025 - The traditional era of SaaS is nearing its end, with AI agents taking over as the central layer for business logic. In the future, AI will act as the “brain,” integrating workflows, automation, and decision-making across multiple platforms. SaaS tools will evolve into specialized databases, losing their standalone significance as intelligent AI agents orchestrate operations. What do you think?

🌟 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲? 🌟   (𝗟𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀 - 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧 - 𝟴) What if the way we use software changes completely? Instead of navigating complicated tools and interfaces, imagine using intelligent agents that handle tasks, make decisions, and solve problems for you. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝘄—𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, powered by AI and automation, are poised to replace traditional software. They’ll do more than just automate repetitive tasks; they'll learn, adapt, and help us work more efficiently in ways we haven't seen before. I came across this interesting video from Microsoft CEO Agent as a Service (https://lnkd.in/gZ5S64QY) that dives into how agents will transform the way we interact with technology, making it smarter, faster, and more intuitive. 💡 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁? Goodbye to static software. Hello to intelligent agents that do the heavy lifting. We’ll see productivity soar as tasks get done automatically and decisions get smarter. The future of work and tech is here—and it’s all about agents. Are you ready for the change? Comment your view. #𝗔𝗜 #𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 #𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗢𝗳𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 #𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 #𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 #𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗔𝘀𝗔𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲

Satya Nadella's take on AI's impact on B2B SaaS companies (BG2 podcast, Dec 12 2024) has been viral. Man's a visionary! I dont disagree at all on direction of travel, but ...there are real world wrinkles. Satya essentially said: "AI agents will become the new business logic layer, making traditional SaaS apps more like intelligent databases. These AI agents will work across systems, making backend choices less critical. Even tools like Excel become AI playgrounds rather than just spreadsheets." Fascinating stuff. But what are those real-world wrinkles...? "All logic to AI..." Try telling that to our banking clients who need every decision documented and audited. Some business rules just need to stay boring and predictable, until they need not be. Deterministic ones will be easy, probabilistic ones, not so much. "Just CRUD databases..." Anyone who's dealt with enterprise software knows handling complex workflows across 27 departments in 13 countries...sigh. "Easy to swap backends..." Data sovereignty, compliance needs, and that one ancient system that nobody dares to touch - it's never that simple. Love the Excel/Python example, but real business is rarely just analysis. Try running a multi-party trade settlement through a Copilot! Some things need good old-fashioned guarantees. "Seamless agents everywhere..." Sure, until you hit that security policy that says "..dont share data across systems." The real world's messy! "Quick transition.." will be tough.. the beautiful world of enterprise change management! Don't get me wrong - Satya's north star is spot on. But the journey there will be interesting. It's not about IF this happens, but HOW. And maybe that's exactly where the opportunity lies - helping organizations navigate this complexity while keeping the lights on. The future's exciting, but someone's got to lay the tracks while the train's moving! Agree, disagree... ? And if you havent heard this pod, here it is - its a wow for sure. Raise a toast to BG and BG too. https://lnkd.in/eNC-KWn2 #AI #SaaS #DigitalTransformation #EnterpriseIT #FutureOfWork

Satya Nadella's recent interview highlights the transformative potential of AI agents in business applications (SaaS). He envisions AI agents orchestrating business logic, potentially reshaping software interaction.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬:⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ - 𝐀𝐈 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗢𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀: Traditional business apps ("CRUD databases with logic") will be superseded by AI agents operating across data repositories, unifying logic in an "AI tier."⁣⁣ - 𝐀𝐈 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐋𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐋𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫: AI agents become the primary execution layer, enabling backend replacement. Microsoft sees strong Dynamics adoption with agents, driving integration across offerings.⁣⁣ - 𝐀𝐈-𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐬: Demand for "AI-native Biz apps" is growing, expecting seamless copilot/agent/app integration.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ This suggests disruption for SaaS. Standalone apps may give way to an AI-centric paradigm, potentially replacing specialized SaaS apps with unified AI agents. This means increased integration, flexibility, and a shift in software development towards AI agents.⁣⁣ The rise of AI agents can fundamentally change software interaction, ushering in greater automation.⁣ #AI #SaaS #BusinessApplications #Microsoft #SatyaNadella #Copilot #AIAgents

Reflecting on my first 6 months in this role, I find immense privilege in witnessing firsthand the AI revolution within Business Applications. The rapid pace of AI innovation by Microsoft in the Business Applications sector has consistently amazed me. The overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers underscores the significance of AI-led ERP with AI Agents leading the charge in this transformative journey. In this recent interview, Satya discusses the future implications of AI, emphasizing the imminent surge in Agent adoption within the enterprise software industry. This shift promises to redefine industry norms and reshape our perspectives on business technology (around min 45, although the whole interview is worth watching). #ERP #BusinessTransformation #MicrosoftDynamics #Innovation #Retail #ConsumerGoods #Technology [Link to the interview: https://lnkd.in/gAK6CWE3]

Vacation is a time to unwind and reflect and occasionally stumble upon something insightful. Recently, I came across an interview with Satya Nadella on the BG2 podcast (highly recommend), where he discussed GenAI and its integration within Microsoft’s ecosystem. It was thought-provoking, especially for those curious about the intersection of AI, enterprise transformation and the future of human-machine collaboration. What particularly caught my attention was the reflection on the future of SaaS systems in organizations (and beyond). It’s somewhat counterintuitive, but in reality, most applications with a database serve as a layer of abstraction (or a graphical interface, if you prefer) for users. Satya mentions that traditional SaaS applications are essentially CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) – and he’s absolutely right. Thousands of people sit in offices filling out endless forms in SAP, Salesforce, Dynamics, and, of course, Excel, all with one goal: to feed the database. But the real magic of data transformation and blending happens behind the scenes in the database itself. And this is precisely what’s odd to me... We’ve worked this way for decades, much like we’ve accepted the keyboard as the most “convenient” peripheral interface for data input. But that’s a cognitive bias. I want to speak to a system like Tony Stark speaks to Jarvis: articulating what needs to be done in natural language. The system would then understand which database actions to perform and which protocols to activate. If it doesn’t understand, it should ask for clarification or refine the instructions. This shift would redefine productivity, making systems more intuitive and accessible while freeing humans to focus on higher-order tasks. But inputs just part of the problem. We are constantly forced to integrate these systems, pay for connectors, additional licenses (whose logic grows more complicated every year), think about versions and platform compatibilities, and, most likely, lock ourselves into vendor ecosystems as a result. And when you strip it down, much of this complexity exists just to allow one database to communicate with another. Could AI agents offer a solution? I believe they can – and perhaps faster than we anticipate. It’s an interesting interview. If you have 90 minutes, I highly recommend listening to it. #Technology #FutureOfWork #TechTrends #AIAgents

In a recent interview, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella made a striking prediction: AI agents will fundamentally transform and potentially "kill" traditional SaaS (Software as a Service) applications. Nadella believes that the core functions of many SaaS applications—essentially CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on databases—will be taken over by AI agents. These agents will handle business logic and interact with multiple databases seamlessly, making traditional SaaS applications redundant. Nadella's vision underscores the potential for AI agents to reshape the SaaS landscape. However, it's important to acknowledge that this evolution will likely be gradual. Remember that many organizations are still in the early stages of their cloud adoption journeys, with many still running legacy applications on-premises. So, we may see below scenarios being played out in next few years. 1) AI-Powered SaaS: We are already witnessing the integration of AI capabilities within existing SaaS platforms. This includes features like intelligent automation, personalized recommendations, and predictive analytics, which enhance user experience and efficiency. 2) Emergence of AI-First Solutions: New SaaS applications might emerge that are built from the ground up with AI at their core. These applications can leverage advanced AI agents to deliver innovative and personalized services, potentially surpassing the capabilities of traditional SaaS offerings. 3) The Potential for New Models: Some organizations, specially the ones still on legacy apps, may eventually explore alternative approaches, potentially moving directly to AI agent-based solutions, bypassing traditional SaaS migrations altogether. The widespread adoption of AI agents will also present several challenges that need to be addressed for the vision to become reality: 1) Hallucination and Accuracy: AI agents can sometimes generate incorrect or misleading information, known as "hallucinations." Ensuring the accuracy and reliability of AI agents is crucial for their successful integration into business processes. 2) Ethical and Privacy Considerations: The use of AI agents raises important ethical and privacy concerns. 3) Transparency and Explainability: It's crucial to ensure that AI agent decision-making processes are transparent and explainable to users. 4) Data Privacy: Safeguarding user data and ensuring responsible data handling practices are paramount as AI agents increasingly interact with sensitive information. 5) Bias and Fairness: It's essential to mitigate biases in AI systems to ensure equitable outcomes for all users. #AI #AIAgent #AgenticAI

Satya Nadella recently stirred up the tech world with a bold proclamation about the future of software development. His message? The era of traditional applications as we know them, including SaaS is evolving. Today’s SaaS platforms, a UI layer on top of a database with hardcoded business logic primarily operate on CRUD principles: Create, Read, Update, Delete. Nadella envisions a future where these traditional app stacks disappear, replaced by intelligent “agents” directly interacting with databases and executing business logic dynamically and in plain English: “Show me a graph of my top 5 customers by revenue with a "abc" product mix and across "xyz" regions .” “Send personalized emails to those customers.” “Automate upsell and renewal workflows.” No more rigid interfaces or pre-coded logic. The agent understands, processes, and executes, compressing tasks into a seamless AI layer. While this vision is revolutionary, the road to realization is far from simple. Legacy systems, data migration, accuracy challenges, compliance hurdles, and substantial investments in existing technologies must all be addressed. Rather than the “end of SaaS,” I see this as the rise of AI-augmented SaaS; a transition to hybrid ecosystems where SaaS tools evolve to enable AI agents with domain-specific expertise, data access, and functionality. The coexistence of SaaS and AI will reshape workflows and value chains. As Suroop articulates; For enterprises, new opportunities emerge to disrupt User Experience. Tools like ChatGPT demonstrate how intelligent interfaces can transform how we interact with data. Why rely on complex charts, presentations, spreadsheets when the insights can be conveyed in simple, actionable terms? The interesting part here is how to draw parallels between what Satya calls out for the SaaS world with Agentic AI to the CyberSecurity realm in that "User Experience" layer. Imagine platforms with Agentic AI interfaces providing: 1️⃣ Dynamic Generative UI: Tailored outputs - charts, forms or tables based on user needs, instead of complex workflows, stitching data across multiple enforcement points 2️⃣ Conversational Operations: Reduced UI complexity with natural language interactions. Less clicking with drill down. Significantly lower UI normalization and development  3️⃣ Lower Integration Costs: Unified workflows run by intelligent agents 4️⃣ Separation of Business, Data and Presentation Layers: Enabling adaptability across web and mobile apps 5️⃣ Cross-Vendor Data Stitching: Agents seamlessly connecting insights across multi-vendor datasets to drive context to a specific alert / event Replacing the manual painstaking process that exists today. The real game-changer will be how we design hybrid systems that integrate humans, SaaS, and AI, creating smoother, smarter, more intuitive workflows than ever before! Would love to hear your thoughts on this paradigm shift. | cc: Suroop Mohan Chandran | #AI #transformation #saas #userexperience

Microsoft CEO says modern apps will go away. All in favor of AI agents delivering instant results. I recently came across this interesting video where CEO Satya Nadella talks about the future of SaaS and the modern applications we’ve used for years. He described modern UIs as “just a soft layer” over a database. Modern SaaS, focused on interface-database interactions like creating, reading, updating, and deleting, will be replaced by AI agents. AI agents will access data directly, predict needs, and deliver results instantly, eliminating the need for traditional UIs. They’ll automate tasks, provide real-time insights, and work seamlessly across devices, redefining productivity and simplifying technology. Why mess around with Excel formulas when you can just ask an agent for the graph you need? Final thought: Software companies will still be around, but their products will look completely different. The AI agents will be able to accomplish anything—you just tell them what to do. How do you see AI agents shaping your work and life? https://lnkd.in/eC2HBSr8