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Home > CIIMA > Vol. 24 (2026) > Iss. 1

 

Communications of the IIMA

Abstract

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) has become one of the most consequential infrastructures of digital transformation because it lowers the cost, time, and complexity of adopting enterprise capabilities. At the same time, artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative and conversational AI, is changing SaaS from a delivery model into an intelligent operating layer that automates workflows, personalizes customer interactions, and supports data-driven decisions. This paper develops a conceptual synthesis of academic literature and public organizational cases to examine how SaaS shaped digital transformation and how AI is reshaping SaaS itself. The analysis shows that SaaS enables scalable experimentation, faster deployment, and modular integration, while AI introduces intelligent automation, conversational interfaces, and adaptive orchestration. A comparative review of three telecom cases (Vero in Brazil, A1 Telekom Austria in Central Europe, and BH Telecom in Bosnia and Herzegovina) demonstrates these dynamics across diverse regional contexts, showing consistent patterns of SaaS enabling capability access and AI deepening capability adaptiveness. The paper further argues that AI-augmented SaaS supports environmental sustainability through cloud efficiency and bridges demographic digital divides through human-centered service design. The paper concludes that in the AI era digital transformation is less about software adoption and more about redesigning operating models around intelligent, inclusive, and sustainable service delivery.

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