The Oracle co-founder says businesses will still need commercial app developers, even as artificial intelligence (AI) makes it easier to build software. “For the first time… [the] software industry can actually finish the applications if we start doing them industry by industry,” Ellison added. Larry Ellison expects AI to change software companies’ work. Speaking during his keynote at Oracle AI World, Ellison argued that AI could help software firms create more complete apps tailored to different industries and locations. His comments address concerns about the future of software-as-a-service, or SaaS, businesses, which provide apps over the internet, usually through subscriptions. Ellison argues that easier software development will also let vendors handle more of their customers’ business requirements. Healthcare was one example he discussed. Apps serving that sector must account for complex operations, regulations, and location-specific differences. His proposed direction would require software companies to build those requirements into more comprehensive products. Ellison also expects AI to change how employees use business software. Instead of working through menus, dashboards and multiple steps, users could describe what they need in ordinary language. That approach could reduce how often employees interact directly with a software vendor’s interface while still using its underlying apps. In a separate interview with TechRadar Pro, NetSuite chief operating officer Brian Chess discussed customers accessing its software through AI assistants or platforms such as Slack.