AI is the great equalizer
For the last fifteen years, SaaS has been taking hold. Subscription models and microtransactions run rampant through the industry to the point where almost nobody sells software anymore.
The other day I searched Google for an auto-refresh extension for Firefox. What followed was harrowing: I found three extensions that offered basic functionality, and one of them did not even have a custom time option without a $3 subscription.
I managed to get something working in our Reikon lab within five minutes. I installed it into Firefox, and it is free for me forever.
The reversal of SaaS
SaaS can finally be reversed. People no longer need to be nickeled and dimed for basic functionality, and people do not have to be developers to write code.
Those who are against AI may call it "AI slop." The more positive might call it "vibe coding." The result is pretty much the same: a person needed a small tool, described the outcome, and got something useful.
In our opinion, as long as that quick five-minute hack stays personal, maybe shared with friends, and does not add to the feedback loop that is the commercialization of the internet, the benefits of AI can be vast. The risk starts when someone who does not know what they are doing tries to sell and support it as a product.
When the economics change
The reason I told that story is because it scales up. Suddenly, ideas that were not financially viable become financially viable with AI assistance.
That game you always wanted to make as a child, but did not have ten developers for and kept getting burned out on? Do it. Reach for it.
The idea that would previously have taken two years and several million dollars to prototype? A quick prototype with AI to get funding to build the real thing is now in reach.
Signal and noise
We, as humanity, are still working out the wrinkles. We are still separating the noise from the signal.
For some larger open source projects, the signal is now too much. Developers are being inundated with legitimate bug reports that they cannot hope to get to themselves for a hobbyist project.
That is the next responsibility. AI makes creation cheaper, but it does not remove accountability. The equalizer matters most when it helps people build the things they needed, dreamed about, or could never afford to try before without turning every small victory into another subscription.