I’ve been looking for the future of low-code app development now that organizations can use AI code generators. Will apps be easier to create, more sophisticated, more scalable, or all of the above?

My other question is looking beyond how SaaS applications are bolting on agentic AI capabilities. What I really seek are ways to develop proprietary business processes with  AI Agents working collaboratively with people. 

Call this my hunt for #11 of missed genAI opportunities in digital transformation. CIOs may miss the big picture by focusing too much on tactical AI agents and incremental dev productivity improvements. 

At Appian World 2025, CEO Matt Calkins declared in the opening keynote, “AI is a revolution in the hands of users. But the hype around AI is creating misunderstandings.”

The key capabilities of AI agents

Calkins cleared up the misunderstandings by explaining that AI agents are about work and should deliver results. He broke down AI agents into three key steps:

• Think: The AI agent must make a plan. It requires fast and secure data access through a data fabric connecting all enterprise data sources.
• Act: The AI agent has access and automates triggering auditable, guardrailed processes.
• Learn: The AI agent must trigger processes that track everything, especially business outcomes.

“We make it easy because the process, data, people, goals, and guardrails are all in the Appian platform,” said Calkins.

Building apps with AI agents – iteratively

Beyond AI agents, one of Appian’s real differentiators is using AI to automate the process of taking ideas to applications. While other low-code platforms offer AI to build apps, Appian takes it significantly further.

Appian believes the process of building apps with AI is a dialogue, not a delegation. It allows subject matter experts to build the design, process, and data iteratively. What’s more, Appian enables AI-enabled app modifications.

Appian Composer is one of the better expressions of where low-code and no-code are heading with agentic AI capabilities. Citizen developers can upload documents and link to resources when expressing their requirements. Appian Composer responds with user personas, a data model, and screens leveraging Appian best practices. The developer can then iteratively improve the design by linking additional resources, uploading new requirements, connecting to reusable assets, inputting brand styles, and reviewing the created objects.

Impressive!

The big win in value-based storytelling

At Appian World, I hosted a live Coffee With Digital Trailblazers with Gregg Aldana, VP and head of global solutions consulting at Appian. Our topic was on value-based storytelling.

Gregg said, “When I was implementing software, I was less interested in features and functions. I was more interested in learning great examples of what customers were doing to digitally transform. Value-based storytelling is leading with the outcomes, leading with the so what, the last page of the book first, the movie trailer that shows you the most exciting moments.”

Gregg shared several amazing stories about addressing supply chain risks, reducing document processing costs, and improving customer experience. Check out the live Coffee With Digital Trailblazers we recorded at Appian World.