For decades, building software was considered the exclusive domain of programmers and IT specialists. Today, that reality is beginning to change.

As artificial intelligence and no-code technologies become more accessible, a growing number of ordinary employees are taking part in the digital transformation of their workplaces. Human resource officers, finance personnel, operations managers and other non-technical workers are now able to create workflows and automate processes without writing a single line of code.

For Rakesh Nandakumar, associate vice president for Asia-Pacific at Kissflow, this shift represents a broader movement toward what he calls the "democratization of technology."

"What Kissflow is telling enterprises today is that they need to pursue total digital transformation," Nandakumar said during an exclusive interview with the DAILY TRIBUNE.

At the heart of that transformation is the concept of citizen development — empowering employees outside traditional IT departments to build solutions to everyday business problems.

To explain the idea, Nandakumar draws a comparison to photography.

"The reason people are comfortable taking selfies today is because technology has evolved to the point where almost anyone can take a good photo," he said.

The same principle, he argues, applies to technology. Not everyone needs to become a software engineer, but more people can now participate in creating digital solutions.

The rise of AI has accelerated that shift. Employees can generate workflows through simple prompts, upload forms and convert them into digital processes, or use AI-powered tools to automate repetitive tasks.

As workplaces continue to evolve, the future of digital transformation may not belong solely to coders and developers. Increasingly, it may also belong to ordinary employees empowered by technology to solve problems, improve processes and help shape the organizations they work for.