Four Predictions For How AI Will Change Software in 2026

Quick Overview

The speakers predict that by the end of 2026, AI progress will still be fast, leading to a significant shift where AI agents become commonplace, drastically changing software development, but they also foresee that AGI will likely not be achieved by then, emphasizing that current AI systems still require human oversight and correct prompting.

Key Points: The speakers predict that AI progress will remain very fast through the end of 2026, causing rapid changes in software development. They predict 2025 will be the 'year of agents,' where AI agents become a major development, fulfilling predictions made by leaders like Dario and Sam Altman in 2024. The major challenge for software engineers in 2026 will be adapting to AI-driven development, specifically moving away from writing boilerplate code toward higher-level tasks like agent orchestration and prompt engineering. The emergence of sophisticated AI agents, capable of performing complex tasks like writing and submitting PRs, will fundamentally alter the role of software engineers. The speakers believe that while AI can generate code, it currently lacks the 'common sense' or comprehensive understanding needed for complex, novel software architecture, meaning human engineers remain essential for high-level design. They predict that the industry will see a split between traditional engineers who resist AI integration and a new class of developers who embrace agentic workflows. They definitively predict that AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) will not be achieved by the end of 2026.

Context: Dan Shipper (CEO of Every) and Brandon Gell (COO of Every) discuss their predictions for the future of software development and Artificial Intelligence, specifically focusing on the timeline for achieving AGI and the impact of AI agents on engineering roles by 2026. They reference past predictions from AI leaders and contrast the current state of AI tools with the capabilities required for true general intelligence.

Detailed Analysis