Future of software creation lies not in lines of code, but in natural language

In a world where software development has long been the domain of expensive dev shops and hard-to-find talent, AI has been flipping the script. 

Mukund Jha, co-founder of the AI-powered no-code platform Emergent, believes the future of software creation lies not in lines of code, but in natural language.

Jha outlined how Emergent is enabling small business owners and entrepreneurs to build fully functional software applications—without writing a single line of code and at a fraction of traditional costs.

“We’ve seen people quoted $50,000 to $70,000 by development firms,” said Jha. “With Emergent, they’re building the same solutions for under $2,000—completely on their own.”

The platform’s recent funding round is set to accelerate this mission. Jha said the capital will be used to expand Emergent’s global footprint, grow its team, and invest heavily in R&D. “Automating the entire software development cycle is a hard problem,” he noted. “A lot of our investment is going into research to build better platforms.”

Emergent is also eyeing the UAE as a key growth market. With the country’s strong focus on AI and digital transformation, Jha sees a natural fit. “AI is a top priority in the region, and tools like ours help people participate in that transformation,” he said. “Around 60–70 per cent of the apps built on our platform are AI-native.”

Mukund Jha, Co-Founder and CEO (left) and Madhav Jha, Co-Founder of Emergent.

While the platform has primarily served small businesses so far, Jha expects larger enterprises to adopt Emergent for internal tools and rapid prototyping. The goal is to shorten the innovation cycle and make software development accessible to all.

When asked about the growing narrative that “the days of coders are over,” Jha didn’t shy away from the bold claim. 

“We’re entering an era where English is the new programming language, prompting is the new coding, and platforms like ours are the new standard,” he said. “Just like mobile phones democratized content creation, we’re democratizing software development.”

As AI continues to evolve, Jha envisions a future where anyone with an idea can bring it to life—no technical background required.