The rapid evolution of generative AI is bringing major changes to the role of enterprise systems. The era of AI agents autonomously using data and business rules has arrived, and the role of SaaS is being redefined.
Amid the rapid evolution of generative AI, debate is spreading that the SaaS era may be coming to an end and that companies may be uncertain about where to direct their investments. Conventional SaaS was central to digitalisation, but the structure is now shifting toward one in which AI agents autonomously process tasks using data and business rules.
Behind the debate over the end of SaaS are the shift to headless architecture and the integration of AI agents, pointing to an era in which operations are performed without going through conventional UIs. This could drive a stronger move to use AI to build applications tailored to individual companies, beyond the framework of off-the-shelf SaaS products.
The future envisioned by major companies is said to involve a change in SaaS's role, not its disappearance. Conventional systems such as CRM and ERP are expected not only to provide fixed workflows on databases, but also to create new ways of working through integration with AI agents.
Examples from the field suggest that in the era of AI agents, the UI through which people open screens and perform operations may no longer be necessary, and that the shift to headless architecture could accelerate companies' digital transformation.