What Comes Next (2026-2028)

TL;DR

• AI agents will get better at multi-step tasks. You'll delegate more, code less by hand.
• Coding won't disappear — but "typing code" will shrink. Design, review, and integration will matter more.
• New roles will emerge: AI ops, prompt engineers (evolving), human-in-the-loop specialists. Old roles will morph.

This isn't a crystal ball. It's a trajectory based on what's already happening. No doom. No "embrace the revolution." Just a map.

2026: The Agent Year

What's Already Real

• Cursor, Claude Code, Copilot, and Devin-style tools are mainstream.
• Companies are standardizing on one or two AI coding assistants.
• "AI-assisted development" is in job descriptions. "No AI" is becoming a red flag.

What Accelerates

• Multi-step agents: AI that can "fix this bug, add a test, and update the doc" in one flow. Less hand-holding.
• Better context: Agents that understand your codebase, not just the file you're editing.
• Integration everywhere: AI in PR reviews, incident response, and architecture docs. It's in the pipeline, not just the IDE.

2027: The Consolidation Year

What Happens

• Fewer people, more output: Teams of 8 do what teams of 12 did. Not everywhere — but at product companies, consulting firms, and startups, the math is clear.
• Junior roles keep shrinking: Entry-level "write this CRUD endpoint" work is scarce. Bootcamps and CS grads adapt or pivot.
• Senior roles get weirder: "Staff engineer" might mean "human who designs systems and directs AI." Less hands-on coding, more orchestration.

New Roles Start to Show Up

• AI ops / AI reliability: Someone has to keep the AI tools running, secure, and cost-effective.
• Prompt engineering (evolving): Not "write prompts all day" — but "design workflows so AI does the right thing." More like systems design than creative writing.
• Human-in-the-loop specialists: For regulated domains (healthcare, finance), someone owns the "AI suggested X, human approved Y" flow.

2028: The New Normal

What Stabilizes

• AI is boring: It's like Git or cloud — you use it, you don't think about it.
• Roles have morphed: QA is "test strategy + AI-generated execution." Docs is "accuracy and UX + AI-generated drafts." Dev is "architecture + review + integration + AI-generated implementation."
• The "AI-proof" skills are clear: Domain expertise, stakeholder management, creative problem-framing, and judgment. We spend the rest of this course on those.

What We Don't Know

• Will there be a "killer agent" that replaces 80% of coding? Maybe. Probably not by 2028. And even then, someone has to direct it.
• Will regulation slow things down? Possibly. Compliance and audit trails favor humans. That could be a moat for some roles.

Do This Next

1. Pick one area to lean into: AI-assisted coding, AI ops, or "human judgment" roles. You don't have to choose today — but start experimenting.
2. Read Part 2. The playbook for 2026-2028 is there. This was the wake-up call. Next is the plan.