AI And Low-code Will Define A ‘New Normal’ In Application Development

By Dinesh Varadharajan, Chief Product Officer, Kissflow

The rise of AI and Low-Code is transforming how businesses develop applications. These technologies are no longer emerging trends — they power today’s most effective digital transformations. According to Gartner, 70% of new apps will use low-code platforms this year. In the UAE, that market will grow from $673.5 million in 2024 to over $2.26 billion by 2030. At the same time, the UAE’s AI sector will reach $1.17 billion in 2025 and continue expanding.

AI and Low-Code: A Perfect Match for Innovation

AI already plays a critical role in digital transformation. It identifies inefficiencies, automates tasks, flags fraud, and detects cyberthreats. Traditionally, launching AI-powered tools required significant time and skilled development teams.

Today, AI and Low-Code eliminate those delays. With intuitive tools, non-developers can design apps that use AI to work smarter, faster, and more intelligently. Businesses no longer wait months for specialized coding; they deploy solutions in days.

How AI and Low-Code Empower Citizen Developers

Low-code tools give business users the power to innovate. These platforms remove coding barriers and allow citizen developers to build real solutions. With AI integrated, these users can create smart apps like chatbots, approval flows, or dashboards with minimal support from IT.

Consequently, innovation spreads across departments. Rather than logging requests with developers, teams can now build prototypes, test features, and improve workflows directly, all with speed and independence.

Boosting Productivity, Managing Risk

AI and Low-Code improve productivity by automating repetitive tasks and freeing employees to focus on strategy. However, these gains bring responsibility. Companies must address AI ethics, transparency, and data security from the start.

For this reason, businesses should design clear data policies and ensure teams monitor how AI makes decisions. With the rise of agentic AI, responsible oversight becomes not just wise, but essential.

The Future of Work Will Be Built on AI

AI will reshape — not erase — jobs. While some roles will be automated, others will emerge. Workers will need to reskill for tasks like supervising AI systems, designing models, or building low-code apps.

Citizen developers equipped with low-code tools will respond faster to business needs — for example, by creating apps to address customer pain points or improve internal workflows. Meanwhile, AI will handle data processing and uncover actionable insights.

Laying the Foundation: Tools and Talent

For this transformation to succeed, enterprises must invest in the right platforms and people. Platforms like Kissflow blend the speed of low-code with the intelligence of AI, helping teams innovate at scale.

As AI technology advances, low-code platforms will evolve too. More functions will be automated, allowing users to focus more on app design and customer experience rather than coding logic.

Conclusion

The combination of AI and Low-Code is changing how we think about development, collaboration, and innovation. Businesses that embrace this shift will move faster, work smarter, and compete more effectively in an AI-first economy.

Those who delay risk falling behind — not just in tech, but in talent, culture, and customer experience.