there’s been a lot of talk about ai agents killing saas.
this is not entirely true in my opinion.
saas isn’t disappearing—it’s evolving into the backend infrastructure that ai agents use to get work done.
the real shift isn’t about replacing software. it’s about who (or what) is using it.
right now, humans are the primary users of saas tools. soon, ai agents will be the primary users—handling workflows autonomously while humans focus on strategy.
but here’s the thing: ai agents don’t work without saas. they need software to connect to, apis to call, and data to pull from.
ai agents aren’t replacing saas, they’re becoming the new users
let’s talk about what this actually means.
today, a salesperson logs into:
- hubspot to check leads
- linkedin to send dms
- gmail to follow up
- notion to take notes
soon, an ai sales agent will do all of that:
- monitor crm activity
- draft and send follow-up emails
- auto-update deal statuses
- schedule meetings in calendly
but does that mean hubspot is dead? nope. it just means the user is no longer a human clicking buttons—it’s an ai agent making api calls.
the same pattern will play out across every industry.
marketing: no more clicking around in crms
today:
- marketers log into hubspot, salesforce, or mailchimp to launch campaigns.
- they analyze performance, tweak copy, and optimize manually.
soon:
- an ai agent will auto-adjust campaigns based on real-time data.
- it will rewrite ad copy dynamically, adjust budgets, and refine targeting without human intervention.
but what is it using? the same saas tools—just better.
hubspot doesn’t die—it just becomes an invisible engine powering ai-driven marketing.
hr & recruiting: ai agents will be hiring for you
right now, recruiters:
- manually post jobs, screen resumes, and email candidates.
- waste hours scheduling interviews.
soon, an ai hiring agent will:
- auto-post jobs based on hiring needs.
- analyze resumes before a human ever sees them.
- send outreach emails and schedule interviews dynamically.
does that mean workday, lever, or greenhouse are obsolete? no. they just become tools that ai agents use to recruit at scale.
finance & ops: ai agents will run your books
cfo workflows today:
- checking quickbooks, stripe, and expensify for financial insights.
- approving expenses and running forecasts manually.
soon, ai-powered cfo agents will:
- pull financial reports automatically.
- flag unusual transactions for review.
- predict cash flow trends and recommend cost-saving moves.
but they’re not doing this in a vacuum—they’re still calling on quickbooks, expensify, and tableau.
the difference? no human is clicking through dashboards anymore.
now, what if ai agents build their own saas?
what if ai agents start building their own saas—then other ai agents consume that software on behalf of users?
the ai agents will be working in crews, much like departments in an organization:
- one group of ai agents could develop and maintain a customer relationship platform.
- another crew might build a content management system for marketing.
- yet another team could create specialized analytics tools.
in this scenario, ai agents create, integrate, and consume saas tools in a fully autonomous cycle. the hierarchy might mirror modern org structures, with different ai “departments” handling specific tasks.
this evolution doesn’t spell the end of saas. it just means that the very fabric of saas will be woven by ai.
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even if ai agents build their own tools, the underlying model is the same: modular, api-driven services.
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saas products will still be the building blocks, only now they’ll be crafted and orchestrated entirely by ai agents.
whether built by humans or ai, these tools must deliver robust, specialized capabilities that are hard to replicate in-house. the value remains in the quality, security, and efficiency of the software—qualities that make these tools indispensable.
so, while the players might change, the game stays the same: if your platform isn’t built for ai-driven integration and autonomous operation, you’re falling behind tbh.
the future of saas is invisible
the biggest saas brands of the next decade will be the ones you don’t even log into.
ai agents will interact with them so seamlessly that they’ll disappear into the background.
ui will be a thing of the past as ai agents will be able to interact with your software in natural language and not through a ui.
this is the shift: saas isn’t going away. it’s just becoming the infrastructure behind ai-driven work.
so what should saas companies do now?
- prioritize api-first design – make it easy for ai agents to use your product.
- build automation-first features – ai agents will be your next big user base.
- move beyond ui-driven workflows – the future isn’t dashboards, it’s direct integrations.
the question isn’t “will ai kill saas?”
the real question is: is your saas ready for ai to be its biggest customer?