AI coding tools unlock small software |
08-18-2026IMPACT COUNCIL
AI coding tools unlock small software
As AI coding tools drive development costs toward zero, millions of small, once-unbuildable programs are finally worth making.
[Photo: Getty Images]
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I’ve been programming for about 40 years. Lately, I’ve started creating new programs between meetings. The difference is that I can now hand much of the mechanical work to an AI coding tool, then spend my time fixing the interesting parts.
They may not be the best programs. Some are a bit strange. But they are programs I didn’t have time to write before, and now I do.
The immediate effect is more output. The larger outcome is that many small jobs are crossing the line from not worth doing to being within reach.
No program is too time-consuming to build
Consider a dashboard for a small team. The code itself might be straightforward but then you need to connect it to three systems, handle authentication, put it somewhere people can reach, and keep it working after any of those systems changes its API. While the dashboard is useful, it isn’t useful enough to justify a project, a team, the hours or days of coding, and six weeks of meetings about the project and the team. So, it doesn’t get built.
There are millions........