As software engineers, we’ve spent years mastering the art of API integration. We’ve wrestled with REST endpoints, debugged authentication flows, and built countless adapters to make disparate systems talk to each other. But as artificial intelligence transforms from experimental technology to production necessity, we’re witnessing a fundamental shift in how software systems need to communicate.
The API Foundation: A Double-Edged Success Story
We need to acknowledge what APIs have helped us accomplish; they helped revolutionize software development by providing standardized ways for systems to interact. For example, the Stripe payment API enabled developers across the world to add complex financial transactions through simple HTTP calls, and GitHub’s REST API enabled an entire ecosystem of development tools. These successes shaped how we think about system integration.
