AI and the great digital agency unbundling

A discussion of how AI is going to change the professional services model in web development and integration.

AI has not yet reshaped agency work in a meaningful way, but that change is knocking at the door.
When AI can do in minutes what once took hours or days, hourly billing becomes harder to justify. If an agency charges $150 an hour for something clients know AI can do faster, those clients will look elsewhere.
Someone must own the decisions and stand behind the results.
To stay viable, agencies need to evolve their service offerings and rethink how they create and deliver value.
AI is now unbundling that model. It separates work based on what can be automated, what clients can bring in-house, and what still requires deep expertise.
1. Focus on outcomes, not effort. As AI reduces delivery time, billing for hours makes less sense.
of just delivering projects, they can help clients understand their problems and shape the right solutions.
1. Become the layer between AI and clients. Don’t just use AI tools to build websites faster. Position yourself as the essential layer that connects AI capabilities with real client needs.