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The March 19, 2026 edition of The Wall Street Journal has an article that describes how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is democratizing software development. This democratization is making it possible for far more people to build apps, websites, automations, and AI agents without traditional coding expertise. The article shows that “building” is no longer limited to professional software engineers. Product managers, doctors, construction professionals, freelancers, and even children can now turn ideas into working tools. In short, AI is democratizing creativity, because software development is one of the most powerful ways people can create, solve problems, and bring ideas to life.

This shift could change the nature of work by making employees not just users of systems, but creators of them (a theme my BBA 204: Principles of Management class touched on last Monday when we discussed how AI is transforming the workforce with an illustration of how one could build an AI tool for assessing AI’s workforce-related impacts). Workers may increasingly automate routine tasks, redesign workflows, and prototype solutions on their own, which could make adaptability, initiative, and problem-solving more valuable than ever. Companies could also change how they provide products and services, becoming faster, more flexible, and more customized as more people across an organization gain the ability to build useful tools rather than waiting for a specialized technical team. In some cases, AI could make differentiation at low-cost possible.