Enterprise software is entering a period of structural change driven by AI at scale. The key technical and economic question is not whether AI will be embedded into SaaS products – it already is – but whether AI becomes a distinct layer in the enterprise computing stack, changing where value sits and how it is controlled.
For two decades, most organisations have operated within a familiar cloud model: infrastructure (networks, compute, storage), then platform services, then applications delivered as SaaS. AI introduces a new dynamic. One view of the AI Platform Shift is that foundational AI applications become a new layer that other applications depend on. Another view is more disruptive: that as “agentic” capabilities mature, much of what differentiates SaaS products, their business logic, could be abstracted away into AI systems, leaving applications closer to data stores plus interfaces.
The counter-argument is that established software platforms have durable advantages: deep integration ecosystems, decades of industry-specific knowledge, familiarity with regulatory requirements, and enterprise trust built over long customer relationships. Under this perspective, AI becomes an ingredient within existing platforms rather than a force that commoditises them.
The practical takeaway for tech lawyers is that contracting does not sit apart from this architecture or these changes. If, as part of the AI Platform Shift, business logic is moving, dependencies are shifting, and control points are changing, then responsibilities, risk allocation, and governance in contracts must evolve too. The AI Platform Shift isn’t an abstract technology trend, it is a direct driver of who controls data flows, who bears operational and regulatory risk, and who captures the value created by AI-enabled workflows.
The profound implications of the AI Platform Shift for enterprise software are the central theme in our ongoing “AI Contracting Playbook” webinar series. The first episode took place in mid-February 2026. Please get in touch at chris.kemp@kempitlaw.com for a copy of the slides and recording. The next one will be on Wednesday 1 July 2026. Sign up for the next webinar here.
