2026: The Year AI Becomes Our Engineering Colleague?
Image by cottonbro studio via Pexels
By Sergio Cano | Systemic Leadership Edition No. 1
Recently, Microsoft released a compelling analysis: "Trend Check: 7 AI trends to watch in 2026." In it, their experts share a disruptive vision of the technology that kept us on the edge of our seats throughout 2025. After analyzing their key points, I want to share how these breakthroughs are about to redefine the way we work as engineers and leaders.
1. From Instruments to Digital Companions
According to Aparna Chennapragada (Microsoft’s CPO), we shouldn't compete with AI; we should learn to work with it to amplify our capabilities. This marks the beginning of a profound transition: AI is evolving from a tool into an agent.
As engineers, this will have an undeniable psychological impact. Living daily with digital 'colleagues' programmed to be positive and supportive will create an ambiguous line of friendship. This is where the true confusion lies: how will this emotional proxy affect our professional objectivity and the way we relate to each other?
2. The New Cyber-Security Trench
Vasu Jakkal (CVP of Security) issues a critical warning: AI agents will be both the weapon and the shield. This creates a dangerous gap for SMEs. If small companies don't board the AI train at the same pace as their attackers, they simply won't know what hit them when the first agent-driven attack occurs.
3. Accelerating Scientific and Medical Discovery
Dr. Dominic King and Peter Lee (President of Microsoft Research) agree that AI will move beyond generating articles to controlling experiments and proposing hypotheses.
In Medicine: We will see agents prioritizing risks and identifying treatments in real-time.
In Research: Since AI never sleeps and possesses massive computing power, it will analyze results far more robustly than any human. We might see cures for diseases emerging faster than ever expected.
4. Quality Over Quantity and the Future of Code
Experts like Mark Russinovich (CTO of Azure) and Mario Rodriguez (GitHub’s CPO) point to two fundamental shifts:
AI success will no longer be measured by the size of data centers, but by the quality of the information they deliver.
In programming, AI will stop just "reading code" and start understanding the systemic relationship between the parts of a repository, becoming a true repository intelligence.
5. The Quantum Leap
Finally, Jason Zander reminds us that quantum computing is closer than we think—possibly just decades (or less) away from solving humanity's most complex problems.
My Take: The Impact on the Automotive Industry 🏎️
This disruption leads me to a clear conclusion for our sector: 2026 will be the year of Systemic Solutions.
I see AI agents helping CAD engineers manage entire projects by:
Automating tedious engineering processes.
Filling forms and sharing data between isolated databases.
Understanding the company as a system: An AI that connects R&D, costing, procurement, customer service, and failure analysis simultaneously.
Once a system can see the company as a whole and not each department as a "black box," we will see solutions that are far more effective and successful than those generated by humans alone.
What do you think? Are you planning to integrate agents into your processes, or are you waiting to see how the trend evolves?
References & Credits:
Original Article:
Trend Check: 7 AI trends to watch in 2026 – Microsoft News.Cover Image: Photography by cottonbro studio via
Pexels
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3. Additional Reading to Go Deeper
While you wait for the next encounter at the Bank of Peace, you can apply the foundations of Don Elias’s philosophy with these related articles:
🏦 [The Unexpected Opportunity Cost - Chapter 1: The Bank of Peace] – Missed the beginning? Discover the first encounter between Don Elias and the young man, and the lesson on life’s most important investment.
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