Future · Article 4 of 10
Where software is going
AI has made it fast and cheap to rebuild software that used to take teams years. In October 2026 a single developer released free versions of seven creative apps built with AI help. But early testers found real gaps. Copying got cheap. Finishing, maintaining and trusting software did not, and that's where value is moving.
A developer, seven apps, a few months
In October 2026, a developer with 15 years in the industry released ArtCraft, seven free creative apps inspired by a well-known paid suite: photo editing, video, vector design and more. He said he built them with help from an AI model, writing the code from scratch.1
TechRadar tested two of them. The basics worked: layers, color correction, a video timeline. Then the gaps showed: audio played as static, some photo formats wouldn't open, selections didn't hold, and both apps were early versions, below 1.0.1
Everyone is using AI to build
This isn't one developer. In Stack Overflow's 2025 survey of developers, 84% said they use or plan to use AI tools. Only about a third said they trust the accuracy of what those tools produce.2
What doesn't get cheaper
When anything can be rebuilt, the code stops being the moat. What's left is harder to copy:
- Finishing. The last 20% that makes software reliable.
- Maintenance. Someone who keeps it working next month.
- Data and relationships. Your customers, your history, your reputation.
- Trust. Knowing who answers when something fails.
One more thing: rebuilding something from scratch is not the same as copying it. Copying protected code, or breaking a protection, is still against the law. AI didn't change that.
What this means for your business
Your edge is no longer the tool you use. It's what's hard to replace: your data, your relationships, and the trust you've earned. That's also how we build: tools set up around your business, maintained by us, with your data always yours. Ask me how on a free 30-minute call.
General information, not legal advice.
Nota para el arquitecto: el artículo nombra ArtCraft y cita a TechRadar, pero no nombra a Adobe en el texto ("a well-known paid suite"), para no meter una marca de terceros en una comparación. Si prefieres nombrarla, va con la fuente al lado.
Charted and signedOctober 2026 · Alejandro Peñuela
Every claim in this article points to its source.