For decades, the technology services industry operated under a relatively simple equation: more projects, more code, more billable hours. This model worked well in a context of sustained expansion, but today it is taking a different shape. Artificial intelligence has changed the rules: it redefines value, shifts the boundaries of what can be programmed, and forces a fundamental rethinking of how wealth is created in the IT industry.
According to recent data from McKinsey, 88% of organizations already use artificial intelligence experimentally in at least one business function, and 62% regularly deploy generative AI. We are not facing a future promise but an ongoing structural transformation. Technology is today, more than ever, a strategic infrastructure for any company.
The dual movement of boundaries
The industry is experiencing a simultaneous phenomenon: one boundary is shrinking while the other is expanding.
On one hand, new technologies are standardizing what used to be differentiating. Developments that a few years ago required complex, custom-built projects can now be resolved with ready-to-use platforms. Artificial intelligence accelerates this commoditization process: tasks that once required months of intense work can now be automated in weeks or days. The differential value once provided by technology in these areas is shrinking dramatically. It’s a boundary that is being pushed inward.
But at the same time, AI enables the resolution of challenges that were previously technically or economically unfeasible: advanced predictive models, cognitive automation, autonomous decision-making systems. Work does not disappear—it shifts toward higher levels of sophistication, where architecture, strategy, and data integration become essential. A boundary that expands outward.
And in that boundary is my son, who didn’t study computer science and is using ChatGPT to visually program a chatbot capable of handling Instagram orders for his business. I can’t help comparing his work with the first chatbot project we built at Baufest for a major bank—a complex project that took us several months at the time.
Another example of shifting boundaries can be seen in the fishing industry: companies are incorporating artificial intelligence to analyze, in real time, variables such as water temperature, ocean currents, and fish-school dynamics. This allows for optimized navigation routes and more precise decisions about when and where to fish. It translates into fewer unproductive trips, lower fuel consumption, significantly higher productivity, and environmental care. Something that could only be done in rudimentary ways before.
This transformation is happening within a context of sustained market growth. Gartner projects that global technology spending will exceed USD 5.6 trillion in 2025, with strong momentum in software, IT services, and data centers. According to their estimates, the percentage of agent-driven products will reach one third of the global market by 2028—far above the less than 1% recorded in 2024.
From vendors to strategic partners
In this new scenario, companies are now seeking partners capable of understanding their business and building solutions with real impact. The “time and materials” logic is giving way to models based on performance, results, and generated value.
This shift is also reflected in contracts. A growing number of organizations are adopting frameworks linked to impact metrics, where success is measured in productivity, efficiency, and improved profitability. Technology is increasingly becoming a strategic investment directly tied to business outcomes.
Generative artificial intelligence helps reduce operating costs, accelerate innovation cycles, and expand the range of data-driven, automated, and predictive services. However, the true differentiator is not the technology itself but the ability to integrate it coherently with processes, culture, and strategy within the company.
Talent: an increasingly critical asset
Contrary to widespread fear, AI does not eliminate human talent—it redefines it. Repetitive tasks are automated, but the demand grows for profiles capable of designing, supervising, interpreting, and governing intelligent systems.
We are witnessing the end of the era of forms and rigid interfaces. Interaction with technology is shifting toward conversational and intuitive environments, where people “dialogue” with data. This shift is not aesthetic—it is structural. It requires smarter systems with enhanced capabilities to manage complexity.
The professional programmer of the future will be an orchestrator of intelligent systems, operating a true technological exoskeleton formed by autonomous AI agents. Managing such power requires continuous training, ethical judgment, and strategic vision. Technology can be purchased; the talent capable of governing it will be the scarcest resource.
Argentina and Latin America: a unique window of opportunity
The region—and especially Argentina—faces a historic opportunity. Previous technological revolutions found us late or fragmented. Today, by contrast, we have a prepared ecosystem: creative talent, globally recognized technical capabilities, and a tradition of adaptation in complex environments.
The knowledge economy can become one of the main engines of growth if we manage to align education, digital infrastructure, innovation incentives, and sound long-term public policies. AI requires strategy, not improvisation. Those who act with vision will be able to capture value in high-impact global value chains.
The future of IT services is no longer defined solely by efficiency, but by the ability to amplify collective intelligence. Organizations that integrate AI, culture, and purpose will be the ones that lead. Argentina has a decision to make: resign itself to being a consumer of technology or consolidate itself as a creator of strategic solutions for the world. Artificial intelligence is not a trend—it is the new infrastructure of knowledge. Seizing it is a historic responsibility.
For Ángel Pérez Puletti, CEO of Baufest.
