Survey: 60% of enterprises plan to replace professional services with AI

Artificial intelligence is fundamentally transforming the traditional Software as a Service (SaaS) model by inverting the relationship between software and services. This emerging “Services as Software” paradigm positions AI as the primary worker rather than a tool for humans, with software itself becoming autonomous in delivering services. This shift represents a profound evolution in how businesses consume technology, with 60% of enterprises already looking to procure services as technology offerings and planning to replace human professional services with AI within the next few years.

The big picture: AI is creating a new technology paradigm called “Services as Software” that inverts the traditional SaaS model by making software the worker rather than just a tool.

• For the past two decades, Software as a Service has been central to the technology universe, with applications accessible via the internet, but AI is now turning this model upside down.
• Instead of humans operating software, AI is increasingly becoming the default worker that autonomously leverages applications to deliver services.

Key details: Industry research shows that businesses are rapidly moving toward this new model, with significant implications for professional services.

• An HFS survey reveals 60% of 1,000 enterprises are already looking to procure services as technology offerings.
• The same percentage plan to replace some or all of their professional services with AI within the next three to five years.
• Routine functions like IT maintenance, HR, procurement, accounting, and customer service are becoming easier to replicate with generative AI and agentic software.

What they’re saying: Technology experts highlight this fundamental shift in how businesses approach software implementation and service delivery.

• “Historically, businesses bought software and hired human professionals to operate it,” explains Frank Diana, Tata Consultancy Services futurist. “AI is flipping that model.”
• Diana further notes: “This transformation isn’t just about automation — it’s about redefining how businesses consume and deliver services.”
• HFS authors Saurabh Gupta and Phil Fersht point to how tasks that once required teams of specialists “is increasingly being handled by AI-powered systems capable of executing tasks autonomously.”

Why this matters: This shift represents a fundamental evolution in business technology consumption that could dramatically reshape enterprise operations and the IT services industry.

• Businesses are increasingly designing their processes around AI from the start, treating it as the default worker rather than an add-on capability.
• The transition to AI-powered autonomous services will impact virtually every business function, potentially reducing the need for certain types of specialized human labor.