Microsoft exec suggests AI agents will need to buy software licenses, just like employees
www.businessinsider.com
Are AI agents employees or tools? A Microsoft exec suggested they're new paid "seats," a shift that could reshape SaaS pricing — and spark pushback.

Buried in the story was a deceptively simple question: does your AI agent count as an employee?

At a recent conference, Microsoft executive Rajesh Jha floated a provocative idea. In a future where companies deploy fleets of AI agents, those agents may need their own identities — logins, inboxes, and even seats inside software systems. If so, AI wouldn’t shrink software revenue. It could expand it.

  • favoredponcho@lemmy.zipEnglish
    11·
    3 days ago

    In my view it wouldn’t be the capability of AI that would prevent someone from using it to create photoshop. I could start doing it at home right now. But, it would cost a fair amount in tokens. Someone who is willing to spend $1000 or more of their tokens on doing it will be able to do it. I’ve already used it to edit open source apps I don’t understand myself. I don’t even open an IDE and I can change their functionality.

    Anyway, this is a pedantic conversation. You can read about the changes happening in the industry here. I’m not wrong. People will have to come to terms with it.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/magazine/ai-coding-programming-jobs-claude-chatgpt.html