Author：Wall Street CN
At the CISCO AI Summit, OpenAI CEO Altman predicted that artificial intelligence is transforming from a tool to assist humans into a fully autonomous executor, ushering in the era of the "all-AI enterprise." This shift marks the end of the traditional "software as a service" model, replaced by a new paradigm of "service as software." In this new era, a company's competitive advantage will no longer depend on the number of engineers, but on the strategic clarity with which it directs autonomous AI systems.
Altman recently revealed that OpenAI's "AI Defense" product will soon be 100% coded by AI. This is not merely a technological aid, but a substantial replacement. AI will no longer just help build the technology stack; it will be the technology stack itself—encompassing code writing, infrastructure construction, and decision-making, operating autonomously throughout the entire process.
Altman pointed out that,AI systems are no longer just enhancing work efficiency; they are fundamentally changing organizational structures.In future workflows, AI will be responsible for building, deploying, and optimizing, while humans will provide strategic direction. In short, humans decide "what to do," and AI decides "how to do it" and executes it to the end. In this model, engineering capabilities will no longer be the limiting factor; the core competency will be the ability to guide AI to perform tasks faster than human teams.
Market observers believe that OpenAI's move towards full autonomy is not merely a product demonstration, but rather proof that this model has the capability to replace existing human organizational structures. This transformation means that companies that merely leverage AI to accelerate development processes are still optimizing a dying model, while those that allow AI to act as the developer will operate in a drastically different economic reality, rendering their competitors structurally obsolete.
From Assistance to Replacement: The Rise of Full AI Enterprises
According to Altman's vision, a "fully AI-driven enterprise" means not only better software, but also a completely new organizational structure. Under this structure, AI can execute complete workflows, rather than simply assisting engineers.Yesterday, people were using AI tools; tomorrow, AI will serve humanity in the same way that employees work for management.
Altman emphasized that the core of this shift lies in AI taking over all aspects of coding, infrastructure management, and day-to-day decision-making. As OpenAI's products move towards 100% AI-written code, traditional engineering teams are no longer the objects of augmentation but are facing the risk of being "discarded." This also signifies that the constraints on technology development will completely shift from "engineering capacity" to "strategic clarity."
Business Model Restructuring: SaaS is Dead, Service as Software is Here
As AI's autonomy improves, the traditional "Software as a Service" (SaaS) business model is being redefined as "Service as Software" (SaaS). In this new model, AI is no longer merely a tool to assist humans in building software; it directly provides complete service outcomes.
The economic reality brought about by this shift is harsh:Companies that use AI merely to speed up developers' development are actually optimizing an outdated model.In contrast, companies that directly utilize AI as developers will operate in this new economic reality. Once AI-driven companies significantly outpace human-driven companies in terms of speed, this transformation will no longer be an option, but a necessity for survival.
Some analysts believe that skills have simply changed, and those who understand systems, context, and strategy will be more valuable.
Dramatic Changes in the Competitive Landscape: A Decisive Strike Through Speed and Structure
Altman's remarks reveal a fundamental shift in future corporate competition. When 100% of the code is written by AI, a company's advantage will no longer depend on the number of engineers it has, but rather on the clarity and speed with which it directs AI to perform tasks.
This means that,Organizations that are the first to recognize and complete this transformation not only gain a competitive advantage, but in fact make all other competitors structurally obsolete.If companies fail to transform before their competitors, they risk being eliminated by rivals operating at an unparalleled speed. OpenAI's move towards full autonomy is powerful proof of the viability of this new organizational structure.
