AI agents drive shift toward internal software development and monetization

Enterprises are increasingly utilizing AI coding agents to develop software internally, reducing reliance on external vendors. According to a McKinsey report, approximately 32% of organizations have opted to build specific software functionalities themselves rather than purchasing them. This trend is most prominent in the technology and healthcare sectors, with high-performing companies being twice as likely to scale software coding agents.

In China, major technology firms including ByteDance, Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu are transitioning from providing free AI chatbots to monetizing AI productivity agents. These companies are implementing various revenue models, such as tiered subscriptions and transaction embedding, to offset the high compute costs associated with AI inference. For example, ByteDance has introduced professional subscription tiers for its Doubao application and launched Doubao Work to integrate AI agents into enterprise workflows.