These are the most 'AI-proof' software companies, according to analysts (www.businessinsider.com)

RBC Capital Markets says “vertical” software—specialized tools built for industries like healthcare, insurance, construction and manufacturing—is among the most “AI-proof” corners of the software market for now. In a note to investors the bank points to deep domain expertise, regulatory knowledge, embedded workflows and high customer retention as defensive advantages that make these products “need-to-have” rather than replaceable niceties. RBC highlights metrics such as Clearwater Analytics’ 98–99% gross revenue retention to illustrate how entrenched customers are, and argues that many end markets are still early in IT modernization, slowing adoption of AI-driven replacements. For the AI community this matters two ways: first, vertical vendors are less exposed to disruption from generalized generative-AI startups because reproducing industry rules, auditability and complex integrations is hard; second, they’re positioned to be strategic partners in the next wave of AI by providing high-quality, contextualized data and workflow constraints needed to fine-tune models into industry-specific assistants. RBC’s top “Outperform” picks include Autodesk, Bentley Systems, Clearwater Analytics, Guidewire, Hinge Health, Samsara, PTC and Veeva—companies the firm sees as both defensible and able to incorporate AI to extend, not replace, their value.