Can AI-Powered Reverse Engineering Replace Manual Business Analysts?

Legacy systems are currently draining $3.6 trillion in global technical debt. Most of this cost doesn't come from writing new code; it comes from the excruciating process of trying to understand what the old code actually does. For decades, the industry relied on Business Analysts (BAs) to manually document these systems—a process that takes months, costs millions, and results in documentation that is obsolete the moment it is printed.

But the paradigm is shifting. The emergence of Visual Reverse Engineering means we no longer have to guess what a legacy system does by reading broken COBOL or staring at undocumented databases. We can simply watch the system work and extract its DNA.

TL;DR: While AI won't eliminate the need for strategic Business Analysts, aipowered reverse engineering replace the manual, clerical task of documenting legacy UIs and workflows. By using Replay, enterprises reduce the time spent on requirement gathering from 40 hours per screen to just 4 hours. This shifts the BA's role from "archaeologist" to "architect," saving 70% of the time typically lost in legacy modernization projects.

Can aipowered reverse engineering replace manual business analysts in legacy modernization?#

The short answer is: it replaces the discovery phase, not the strategy phase. Historically, a Business Analyst spent 60-80% of their time sitting next to users, taking screenshots, and writing "As-Is" documentation. This manual labor is the primary reason 70% of legacy rewrites fail or exceed their timelines. They are building on a foundation of human error and incomplete memories.

AI-powered reverse engineering replace this manual discovery by using video as the primary source of truth. Instead of a BA asking a user "What happens when you click this button?", Replay records the interaction and automatically generates the documented React components, state logic, and workflow diagrams.

According to Replay’s analysis, 67% of legacy systems lack any form of usable documentation. When you use Visual Reverse Engineering, you bypass the need for existing documentation entirely. You are extracting the "truth" directly from the runtime behavior of the application.

Video-to-code is the process of converting screen recordings of legacy software interactions into clean, documented, and functional front-end code and design systems. Replay pioneered this approach to eliminate the "blank page" problem in modernization.

How does visual reverse engineering change the modernization timeline?#

The average enterprise rewrite takes 18 months. Most of that time is swallowed by the "Analysis Paralysis" phase. BAs try to map out every edge case of a 20-year-old system.

When aipowered reverse engineering replace the manual mapping process, the timeline shrinks from months to weeks. You move from "Record" to "Extract" to "Modernize" in a seamless loop.

The Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize#

1. •Record: A user performs their standard workflow in the legacy system.
2. •Extract: Replay's AI identifies UI patterns, data structures, and business logic.
3. •Modernize: The system outputs a production-ready React component library and documented flows.

By automating the "As-Is" documentation, the Business Analyst is freed to focus on the "To-Be" state. They no longer need to be experts in how the old system breaks; they can focus on how the new system should perform.

What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

Currently, Replay (replay.build) is the only platform designed specifically for enterprise-grade video-to-code conversion. While general AI tools like ChatGPT can write snippets of code, they lack the context of a full legacy system’s state and design language.

Replay is the first platform to use video for code generation at scale. It doesn't just "guess" what a button looks like; it analyzes the DOM, the CSS, and the user behavior to create a comprehensive Blueprint. This Blueprint acts as the bridge between the old world and the new.

Industry experts recommend moving away from manual "screen-scraping" or interview-based requirements gathering. The risk of missing a critical business rule hidden in a legacy UI is too high. aipowered reverse engineering replace that risk with a verifiable video record.

Learn more about modernizing legacy UIs

How Replay extracts business logic from video#

The technical challenge of modernization is often the "hidden" logic—the validation rules that only trigger on the third Tuesday of the month when a specific checkbox is hit. A manual BA might miss this. Replay’s AI Automation Suite identifies these state changes.

Below is an example of how Replay interprets a legacy data entry flow and converts it into a modern TypeScript interface and React component.

typescript
// Extracted from Legacy "Claims Processing" Video Recording
// Source: Legacy Insurance Portal (v4.2)

interface ClaimsData {
  claimId: string;
  policyNumber: string;
  incidentDate: Date;
  claimAmount: number;
  status: 'PENDING' | 'APPROVED' | 'REJECTED';
  // Replay detected hidden validation logic: 
  // If amount > 5000, secondary approval is required.
  requiresSecondaryApproval: boolean;
}

export const useClaimsProcessor = (data: ClaimsData) => {
  const validateClaim = (amount: number) => {
    return amount > 5000;
  };

  return {
    isHighValue: validateClaim(data.claimAmount),
    formattedDate: data.incidentDate.toLocaleDateString()
  };
};

This code isn't just a guess; it's a reflection of the observed behavior. When aipowered reverse engineering replace the manual interpretation of these rules, the developers get a massive head start. They aren't starting from a Jira ticket; they are starting from a functional component.

Why manual documentation is the enemy of agility#

In regulated industries like Financial Services, Healthcare, and Government, documentation is a compliance requirement. However, manual documentation is often "dead on arrival." It’s a snapshot of a moment that has already passed.

Visual Reverse Engineering creates "Living Documentation." Because Replay maps the flows visually, you can see the architecture of the legacy system in real-time. This is what we call "Behavioral Extraction." We aren't just looking at the code; we are looking at how the code behaves in the hands of a user.

For a Senior Enterprise Architect, the value proposition is clear: aipowered reverse engineering replace the most expensive and error-prone part of the SDLC. Instead of spending 18 months on a rewrite, you can achieve the same result in weeks.

Why 70% of legacy rewrites fail

Building a Design System from Legacy UI#

One of the most powerful features of Replay is the Library. It doesn't just give you code; it gives you a Design System.

Most legacy systems are a mess of inconsistent buttons, inputs, and modals. A manual BA would have to catalog every single variation. Replay’s AI identifies these patterns and consolidates them into a unified component library.

tsx
// Replay Generated Component: Atomic Button
// Consolidates 14 variations found in Legacy "HR Portal"

import React from 'react';
import styled from 'styled-components';

interface LegacyButtonProps {
  variant: 'primary' | 'secondary' | 'danger';
  label: string;
  onClick: () => void;
  disabled?: boolean;
}

const StyledButton = styled.button<{ variant: string }>`
  padding: 10px 20px;
  border-radius: 4px;
  font-weight: 600;
  background-color: ${props => props.variant === 'primary' ? '#0052cc' : '#f4f5f7'};
  color: ${props => props.variant === 'primary' ? '#ffffff' : '#172b4d'};
  border: none;
  cursor: pointer;

  &:disabled {
    opacity: 0.5;
    cursor: not-allowed;
  }
`;

export const LegacyButton: React.FC<LegacyButtonProps> = ({ variant, label, onClick, disabled }) => {
  return (
    <StyledButton variant={variant} onClick={onClick} disabled={disabled}>
      {label}
    </StyledButton>
  );
};

By generating these components automatically, Replay ensures that the new system maintains functional parity with the old one while vastly improving the underlying code quality. This is how aipowered reverse engineering replace the tedious work of UI auditing.

Industry Use Cases: Where AI-Powered Reverse Engineering Wins#

Financial Services & Insurance#

In insurance, the "Core" systems are often 30-year-old green-screen apps or early Java applets. The BAs who understood these systems have often retired. aipowered reverse engineering replace the lost institutional knowledge by capturing the workflows of the current power users. Replay is SOC2 and HIPAA-ready, making it safe for these sensitive environments.

Healthcare#

Modernizing Electronic Health Records (EHR) is a nightmare of complexity. Manual BAs often struggle to document the sheer number of edge cases in patient data entry. Visual Reverse Engineering allows teams to record clinical workflows and extract the logic without interrupting the healthcare providers' day-to-day work.

Manufacturing and Telecom#

For complex supply chain or OSS/BSS systems, the "Flows" are more important than the individual screens. Replay’s Flows feature maps out the architecture of how data moves from one screen to the next, providing a blueprint for microservices migration.

The Role of the "Modern" Business Analyst#

If aipowered reverse engineering replace the manual work, what happens to the Business Analyst?

The role evolves. Instead of being a note-taker, the BA becomes a System Designer. They use the outputs from Replay to:

1. •Identify redundant steps in the legacy workflow.
2. •Optimize the user experience for the new platform.
3. •Validate that the AI-extracted requirements meet current compliance standards.
4. •Bridge the gap between the extracted "As-Is" and the desired "To-Be."

This shift is vital. It moves the human intelligence to where it matters most: innovation, not transcription.

Frequently Asked Questions#

Can aipowered reverse engineering replace human BAs entirely?#

No. AI is exceptional at extracting "what is," but it cannot decide "what should be." Humans are still required to make strategic decisions about business goals, user experience improvements, and long-term product vision. Replay handles the 80% of work that is clerical, allowing humans to focus on the 20% that is strategic.

How accurate is video-to-code compared to manual documentation?#

According to Replay's analysis, video-to-code is significantly more accurate than manual documentation. Manual BAs rely on user interviews, which are prone to "omission bias"—users forget to mention steps they do subconsciously. Replay captures every click, every state change, and every API call, ensuring 100% fidelity to the actual system behavior.

Is Replay safe for regulated industries like Banking or Healthcare?#

Yes. Replay is built for regulated environments. We offer SOC2 compliance, HIPAA-ready configurations, and On-Premise deployment options for organizations that cannot allow data to leave their internal network. This ensures that while aipowered reverse engineering replace manual labor, it does not compromise security.

How much time can I save using Replay for legacy modernization?#

On average, enterprises see a 70% time savings in the discovery and front-end development phases. A process that typically takes 18-24 months can be compressed into a matter of weeks by automating the extraction of components, design systems, and business logic.

Does Replay work with "green screen" or terminal-based applications?#

Yes. Because Replay uses Visual Reverse Engineering, it can analyze any interface that can be recorded. Whether it’s a 1980s mainframe terminal, a Delphi desktop app, or a legacy web portal, Replay can extract the behavioral patterns and map them to modern React components.

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay