Writing code used to be the hard part. It isn’t anymore.
In the last 18 months, AI-assisted tools have made it trivial to generate a working application from a text prompt. Full-stack prototypes that once took weeks now take minutes. The economics of custom software development have permanently changed.
However, generating an application and running one in a real business are two very different problems. The code still needs to be deployed, secured, permissioned, backed up, and maintained across the devices your organization actually uses. It needs someone who understands the data, the workflows, the users, and the stakes. Someone who can define the right problem before solving it and can ensure the result actually works when it matters.
This isn't a new idea for the Claris Community. FileMaker developers have been working this way for decades. The role was never to write every line of code. It's to be the designer and orchestrator of solutions, understanding the business deeply enough to translate its needs into software that holds up under real conditions.
When code is abundant, the people who understand context become the scarcest resource. That resource is this community.
Every company in this space is rethinking how it builds and delivers software, and we're no different. Our products will evolve. How we deliver them will evolve. But our purpose remains the same: Take the most powerful technologies available and make them usable by the people closest to the problem. AI makes that purpose more achievable than it has ever been.
Today, I want to share how we're investing to ensure our users fully participate in this shift, both in how they build software and in how they put their data to work.
FileMaker is the foundation.
Every AI-generated application creates the same problems: Where does it run, and how is it deployed, secured, and managed?
The app needs a database. It needs user authentication, role-based permissions, and audit logging. It needs backup and recovery. It needs to work on Mac, Windows, iPad, iPhone, and the web. It needs to run on infrastructure your organization controls, whether that is in the cloud or on your own hardware.
This is what FileMaker already is. One unified platform with data, logic, interface, security, and cross-platform delivery, built together from the start. We've been solving this problem at scale for over 40 years.
The rest of the industry is still working to solve the problems that AI-generated code creates. We already have. With the runtime in place, our focus is on the next step: Make it simple to build with the best AI tools available and deploy directly into the platform you already trust.
Building for FileMaker with the AI tools you choose.
Our community hasn't been idle through this shift. Talented developers have been building tools that bring AI-assisted development into FileMaker today. Their work matters, and it has inspired our own.
The AI development ecosystem is moving fast. Tools like Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex are already changing how developers work across every platform. The fastest and most powerful way to bring that capability to our community is by meeting AI where it already lives.
Our AI strategy is evolving. We are making FileMaker a first-class development target inside agentic coding tools, with more to come. You pick the AI coding tool you prefer. You describe what you need. The result deploys directly into your FileMaker solution, inheriting your existing security and permissions automatically.
This means you're never locked into a single AI vendor. As these tools improve, and they will improve fast, your FileMaker development workflow improves with them.
We are investing in two areas. Both already working internally:
- Modern interfaces. Build web-native UI through conversation with your preferred AI coding environment, rendered inside FileMaker, secured by your existing permissions.
- Scripts and schema. Your AI agents understand your file's structure and FileMaker's scripting language. Describe the logic you need and it writes production-quality scripts directly into your solution.
The Claris team has been building with both. Development work that formerly took a team weeks can finish in an afternoon. Projects that had been deprioritized as too costly to pursue are worth building again.
On the interface side, a developer can describe an interactive dashboard, a Gantt chart, complex reporting views, and data processing workflows. The agent builds the request, connects it to live data, and deploys it within FileMaker. These patterns, which used to take weeks or months of painstaking layout work, now come to life over a single conversation with a coding agent.
On the scripting side, the agent reads your file's schema, understands FileMaker's scripting language and calculation engine, and follows the best practices you would apply yourself. Describe the logic you need, and the agent writes native scripts, schema changes, and custom functions that fit your existing architecture because it already understands it. You can also bring your own approach, with your coding standards, naming conventions, and design patterns.
What's next.
FileMaker 2026 is coming soon. This release focuses on resiliency, productivity, and infrastructure, including native disaster recovery and business continuity capabilities enabled by two new features: FileMaker Server Remote Backup and Standby Server. Additionally, it lays the groundwork for agentic development. We will share specifics in the coming weeks.
Later this summer, following the release of FileMaker 2026, we will deliver the first developer previews of our agentic coding functionality.
A key benefit of the chosen approach: It allows us to ship many improvements independently of traditional FileMaker release cycles. We will preview things sooner, even while things are still in development, and do more of our building in the open, so you can be part of the journey and extend your skills alongside us. In addition, we're investing in resources to guide those not yet building with AI, letting every developer in our community move forward with confidence.
The opportunity in front of this community is enormous. The shift happening in our industry only amplifies the importance of what you do. We intend to make sure you have every advantage as we move into this next era together.
CEO, Claris, an Apple company
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