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How Composability Will Drive AI Innovation
By Dorian Kendal, CMO of Netlify
2023 has undoubtedly been
the year of AI. Organizations across every industry, whether it's customer
experience, e-commerce, or fintech, have already seen a return on investment as
a result of their AI implementation. Despite the chaotic scramble to take part
in the AI race, data shows that 80% of developers are already experiencing
significant benefits from implementing AI. 72% of developers are leveraging AI
to automate repetitive tasks, and over half have materialized new opportunities
via AI such as generating new web projects with a single prompt.
However, the path to
successful AI is not an easy one. Many developers share pressing concerns - 70%
are concerned about misinformed AI outcomes, and 56% fear security issues and
confidential data leaks. Fine-tuning AI to meet specific organizational needs
requires extensive trial and error, and while large enterprises have the
freedom to experiment, smaller businesses can find difficulty in doing so
without racking up overhead costs.
Legacy architectures such
as monoliths were suitable tools for helping businesses achieve a level of
digital transformation, but their lack of agility poses a significant obstacle
to AI experimentation. For example, 32% of developers noted that key resources
were absorbed by monolith maintenance, which restricted their ability to
develop proof-of-concepts and keep up with the ever changing AI software
landscape.
The only way to capitalize
on generative AI's accelerative capabilities is to embrace agility, which I
believe necessitates a radical shift from monolithic architecture to composable
architecture. Developers leveraging composable frameworks have reported
additional bandwidth and resource availability. 56% cited increased productivity, and 48%
experienced faster time-to-market and web performance, built on resources that
did not need to be spent on monolith maintenance. More productivity and less
resource cost means more time for innovation. Once organizations have set
themselves up for success through composability, I expect a flurry of
generative AI-driven applications to emerge in 2024.
In 2023, we witnessed
generative AI as rocket fuel for the production of content, code, and creative
assets. In 2024, as an extension of the groundwork laid, generative AI will
lead to a fundamental shift in the types of user interfaces consumers expect.
The ability to generate content nearly instantaneously will unlock
unprecedented levels of personalization and interactivity; meanwhile, new AR
and AI devices will work in tandem to create new interaction patterns for
customers. The constraints that once plagued user interfaces have gone away
with AI, and over the next five years, we will see the rise of new
human-computer interfaces that will form the foundation of UI 2.0.
When it comes to the
developer teams building these new user interfaces, generative AI will also
serve as a multiplier, not a replacement. The more businesses develop these new
tools, the more necessary it will be that a human touch is in place, not just
for creating these new technologies but to ensure that a human lens oversees AI
outcomes. Nothing knows what a human wants more than an actual human, and the
responsibility of identifying what is missing in the market and capturing that
value before competitors do will fall on the shoulders of developers. AI then
acts as a means by which to execute the developer's vision at great speed.
With all these pieces in
play, building solutions will win out over buying as the guiding philosophy for
developer teams. Now that personalization is king, ensuring that developers
have as many options in their toolbox as possible will be the top differentiator
between businesses that rely on limited off-the-shelf solutions and businesses
that build solutions fit for their customers' unique needs. Composability
provides that capability, giving developers the ability to play with these
siloed solutions without vendor lock-in. Without composable's level of
adaptability, enterprises that do not make this shift will soon be left behind.
Taking full advantage of
AI's potential means having the flexibility required to constantly incorporate
new technology and remove outdated software to ensure that you stay on the
cutting edge. AI is constantly forcing customers to reevaluate their ideal digital
interactions with their favorite brands, and eliminating that friction is key
to earning valuable customer loyalty in a tight macroeconomic environment.
Composable architecture, with its ability to decouple the frontend of your tech
stack from the backend, brings the modularity needed for developers to take
their ideas from the concept board to a tangible product. I predict in 2024
that the age of the monolith will soon be over, and replaced by the
composability needed to empower developers to adapt and deploy.
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ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
As
Chief Marketing Officer at Netlify, Dorian Kendal is responsible for driving
brand awareness and growth. Dorian has a passion for building high-performing
teams and driving growth through innovative marketing strategies. He has held
leadership positions at several high-profile companies, including Trulia
(acquired by Zillow), Google, and Unity where he launched the company's
subscription business and oversaw onboarding and retention. Dorian has also
guided numerous high-profile clients, including Twitter, and Meta, through his
consulting business.