---
type: source
title: "The Way We Use AI Will Completely Change in 2026 (Hot Takes)"
description: "In 2026 the way we build with AI will fundamentally shift: the code-centric IDE dies in favor of parallel agent-manager interfaces, providers specialize rather than one model winning everything, code execution replaces tool calling, and engineers become system architects who ship validated code they never read."
youtube_id: nz8VjAtY_Mc
url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz8VjAtY_Mc
slug: the-way-we-use-ai-will-completely-change-in-2026-hot-takes
published: 2025-11-26
duration: "0:16:05"
recency_rank: 51
raw: "../raw/the-way-we-use-ai-will-completely-change-in-2026-hot-takes.md"
tags: [predictions, agentic-coding, future-of-ai]
created: 2026-07-21
updated: 2026-07-21
---

# The Way We Use AI Will Completely Change in 2026 (Hot Takes)

Cole lays out a set of predictions, deliberately including hot takes, for how AI coding and agents change in 2026. The through-line is that the traditional IDE, where source code is the focus of the interface, becomes irrelevant. Work shifts to an "agent manager" surface where you kick off many agents in parallel across features and codebases and review their output the way you review a GitHub pull request. He points to Google Antigravity, Cursor 2.0, Codex web, and Claude Code for the web as early examples, plus his own remote agentic coding system that plans, implements, and validates from GitHub, Telegram, and Slack, which he plans to give away in a live stream.

On the model landscape he argues against a single-LLM monopoly. Providers will specialize instead: Google as the generalist, Anthropic as the best at coding, others on creative tasks, while OpenAI keeps disappointing (his biggest hot take). He also calls 2026 the year of local AI, enabled by new edge chips that can run 120B-parameter models, unlocking data privacy and zero latency.

The remaining predictions describe the shape of the new workflow. Code execution replaces tool calling to cut token overload, with progressive disclosure and Claude Skills as the first standard for composable capabilities. Agent-to-agent protocols and machine-to-machine payments (Coinbase x402 over USDC stablecoins) emerge despite adoption friction. Reviews move from diffs to artifacts such as browser recordings and working demos. The final prediction: engineers become system architects who define, orchestrate, and validate, eventually shipping code they have never read because they trust their validation system.

## Concepts covered

- [Parallel Agentic Coding](../concepts/parallel-agentic-coding.md)
- [Model Selection](../concepts/model-selection.md)
- [Code Execution](../concepts/code-execution.md)
- [Progressive Disclosure](../concepts/progressive-disclosure.md)
- [Skills](../concepts/skills.md)
- [The PIV Loop](../concepts/the-piv-loop.md)
- [Human in the Loop](../concepts/human-in-the-loop.md)
- [Code Review](../concepts/code-review.md)
- [End-to-End Validation](../concepts/end-to-end-validation.md)
- [Local & Self-Hosted AI](../concepts/local-ai.md)
- [Agent Protocols](../concepts/agent-protocols.md)
- [Machines Paying Machines](../concepts/machines-paying-machines.md)

## Entities

- [Cole Medin](../entities/people/cole-medin.md)
- [Cursor](../entities/tools/cursor.md)
- [Codex](../entities/tools/codex.md)
- [Claude Code](../entities/tools/claude-code.md)
- [Anthropic](../entities/organizations/anthropic.md)
- [OpenAI](../entities/organizations/openai.md)
- [Google](../entities/organizations/google.md)
- [Postman](../entities/tools/postman.md)
- [MCP (Model Context Protocol)](../entities/tools/mcp.md)
- [Dynamous](../entities/organizations/dynamous.md)

## Key moments

- **[0:00:32]** Prediction 1: IDEs are dead; interface shifts from code to an agent-manager for parallel orchestration
- **[0:01:33]** Cole's own remote agentic coding system (plan/implement/validate over GitHub, Telegram, Slack), given away in a Nov 29 livestream
- **[0:02:18]** Prediction 2: providers specialize rather than one LLM winning everything; OpenAI won't come out on top (biggest hot take)
- **[0:03:47]** Prediction 3: 2026 is the year of local AI, enabled by a new chip running 120B-param models on the edge
- **[0:04:50]** Prediction 4: engineers become system architects (define / orchestrate / validate); civil-engineer analogy
- **[0:05:40]** Postman sponsor read: API readiness for production agents
- **[0:07:55]** Prediction 5: code execution replaces tool calling to reduce token overload
- **[0:08:44]** Progressive disclosure and Claude Skills as the first standard for composable capabilities
- **[0:10:50]** Agent-to-agent protocols (A2A) and their chicken-and-egg adoption problem
- **[0:11:50]** Prediction: machines paying machines via Coinbase x402 and USDC stablecoins
- **[0:13:15]** Prediction: artifact reviews (browser recordings, working demos) replace diff reviews
- **[0:14:32]** Final prediction: engineers ship code they've never read, trusting their validation system

## Transcript

[Raw transcript](../raw/the-way-we-use-ai-will-completely-change-in-2026-hot-takes.md)
