The Next Evolution Of Software Development

InnovationThe Next Evolution Of Software DevelopmentByTiago Azevedo,Forbes Councils Member.for Forbes Technology CouncilCOUNCIL POSTExpertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author. | Membership (fee-based)Jun 01, 2026, 08:15am EDTTiago Azevedo is CIO at OutSystems, a leading AI-powered low-code development platform. getty​The accessibility and affordability of AI development tools have brought us to an inflection point. Tired of the build-versus-buy binary, enterprises are increasingly opting for an alternative: AI-driven coding—or, as many in the industry call it with mixed feelings, vibe coding.​How We Got HereFor a decade, low-code was the user-friendly successor to traditional coding. It faced resistance from parts of the development community, but its staying power spoke for itself.​AI development builds on the same idea—higher abstraction, faster delivery—and pushes it further. Developers describe what they want; an AI assistant translates that into working code. The code is still there, still written in the same programming languages and still available when something needs to be refined. The difference is how much of the manual work the developer is doing directly.​The economics of custom software have changed as a result. Projects that used to require deep pockets and an extensive bench of senior engineers are now viable with a fraction of the time and resources. That changes the build-vs-buy calculus inside large enterprises, not just the build side of it.​The impact is real. IT teams can deliver on business needs faster and at a bigger scale, whether that means modernizing legacy infrastructure, standing up net-new software or pursuing projects that previously wouldn't have cleared the cost-benefit bar. The question has shifted from whether to use these tools to how to organize a technology function around them.Succeeding In An AI Development EnvironmentAs vibe coding took off, so did develop...