Typically, when clients come to us with a project idea, their goal is fairly clear: do some discovery, streamline a workflow, build an app. However, those conversations are starting to sound a bit different.
Clients aren’t just asking for apps anymore. They’re asking about and for AI. They’re imagining smarter systems that predict needs, automate tasks, and create content.
Sure, AI has changed what’s possible, but it has also changed what people expect from their custom software projects in two major ways: clients are expecting more, and they’re expecting it faster.
Clients Expect Magical Applications
I used to use the phrase “software is magic” facetiously when referring to stakeholders who needed some guardrails and assistance when understanding what software was and wasn’t capable of. I don’t use this phrase anymore, because honestly, software kind of is magic now.
With AI being so accessible, there’s now an expectation that software should be “intelligent” (or magical) by default.
Even when a project isn’t explicitly about AI, clients often assume their app will include features like:
- Personalized recommendations
- Predictive search
- Chatbots that can hold real conversations
- Complex automations
This isn’t because people misunderstand what software can do. It’s because AI is becoming the norm in the tools that even non-technically savvy people use. From Gmail’s predictive text to Spotify’s curated playlists, we’re all experiencing how AI can create easier-to-use tools and more delightful experiences.
Magical software has become normalized and expected.
Clients Expect Faster Delivery
Another shift we’re seeing is around the expectation of speed.
With tools like Copilot, ChatGPT, and the growing number of low/no-code platforms, there’s a growing perception that building software is easier and faster than before. In some ways, that’s true. AI can certainly streamline many tasks.
However, custom software projects still involve all the hard strategic work they always have, such as:
- Ensuring stakeholders are aligned
- Understanding users and their unique needs and pain points
- Designing intuitive experiences for those specific users
- Building secure systems that are scalable
AI tools can speed up certain aspects of building custom software, such as pieces of the coding, or assisting in synthesizing user interviews. However, it can’t replace strategic discovery, thoughtful architecture, or human testing.
It might be fair to expect certain aspects of building custom software to be quicker than it was 3 or 4 years ago. However, clients might need a reminder that not every aspect of the process will receive the same reduction in time required by the assistance of AI.
Looking Ahead
Of course, AI is reshaping the software landscape, but the fundamentals of building software for people haven’t changed.
Clients still need teams they can trust — teams that can ask the right questions, help them make smart tradeoffs, and build quality software that meets real human needs.
The future with AI is exciting. However, it’s also complex and ever-changing. As software makers, our job isn’t just to keep up with technology. It’s also to help our clients navigate it with confidence.