Every year, tech people make predictions. Most of them are vague, hedged, or conveniently forgotten. This episode of SaaS That App does the opposite. Hosts Aaron Marchbanks and Justin Edwards, along with the Delta Systems team and friends, put specific 2026 predictions on the record, fully intending to come back later and roast themselves if they get it wrong.
The result is a fast-moving, surprisingly thoughtful conversation about where software development is heading, what roles are changing, and which parts of the system are likely to crack under pressure next. Some predictions are optimistic, some are uncomfortable, and a few are downright ominous. All of them are worth taking seriously if you build, ship, or fund SaaS.
Edge AI Brings Compute Back to the Device
Justin kicks things off with a big one: Edge AI is finally ready for prime time. The idea isn’t new. Computing has always swung between centralized and distributed models. What’s different now is that modern devices are powerful enough to run meaningful AI workloads locally.
That matters for latency, privacy, and cost. Instead of shipping every interaction to a data center, devices can handle smaller, useful tasks on their own. Think smarter interfaces, local automation, and assistants that work without constantly phoning home. For SaaS teams, this points toward hybrid architectures where the cloud handles heavy lifting and edge devices handle everything else.
Most New Code Will Be Written by AI
One of the boldest predictions comes from Nolan: most new code will be written by LLMs. Justin admits he used to dismiss claims like this when AI-written code really meant glorified autocomplete. But 2026 feels different.
Agents are now capable of producing entire features that are genuinely usable. That doesn’t eliminate developers. It changes their job. Writing code becomes less about keystrokes and more about intent, review, and correction. The bottleneck moves from typing to thinking clearly.
Why Types, Tests, and Docs Suddenly Matter More
Closely related is Justin’s prediction that typed languages become non-negotiable. Explicit types give AI guardrails. They reduce ambiguity and make generated code easier to validate. TypeScript is the obvious example, but the broader shift is toward contracts everywhere.
Nolan builds on this by arguing that documentation, testing, and type safety may become more important than writing code itself. If machines generate more of the output, humans must verify correctness. Tests catch hallucinations. Documentation preserves intent. Types prevent silent failure.
The Senior Developer Role Is Shifting
Daniel’s prediction focuses on careers. Senior developer salaries rise, headcount shrinks, and entry-level roles become harder to find. Aaron adds an important nuance: the gap between junior and senior engineers widens.
AI compresses the learning curve for writing code, but not for understanding systems. Senior engineers increasingly act as architects, reviewers, and risk managers. Juniors will need to learn how to validate and reason about AI output much earlier in their careers.
Hosting Costs Go Up Anyway
Kevin throws in a counterintuitive prediction: hosting costs increase, even as AI tools make teams more productive. GPUs, memory, and infrastructure are becoming strategic assets. Efficiency doesn’t always lower spending. It often encourages companies to do more. Even if Edge AI offloads some compute, massive cloud investments are already locked in. Founders shouldn’t assume AI automatically makes infrastructure cheaper.
What Breaks Next: Breaches, Outages, and Botnets
Several predictions fall firmly into the ‘brace yourself’ category. Justin and Daniel both expect a major AI-related data breach. Another prediction points to a large internet outage caused by DNS or network-layer failures. Steve goes further, predicting coordinated AI-driven botnet attacks that adapt in real time, making them harder to defend against.
AI Fatigue and the Creative Backlash
Not all consequences are technical. Aaron predicts AI will run roughshod over the arts, with ‘in the style of’ becoming the default creative prompt and attribution lagging far behind. Justin adds AI fatigue to the list. People are already tired of hallucinations, over-polished answers, and constant hype.
There’s also a quieter question underneath it all: how much screen-mediated interaction do we really want, and what happens when AI starts filling emotional or creative roles we used to reserve for humans?
Final Thoughts
Taken together, these predictions sketch a future that’s less about replacement and more about redistribution. Code moves. Roles evolve. Costs shift. New risks appear. The teams that thrive in 2026 won’t be the ones chasing every shiny tool. They’ll be the ones investing in clarity, validation, and people who know how to think critically alongside machines. And most importantly, they’ll write their predictions down now, because accountability has a way of sharpening insight.
Justin’s Background
Justin Edwards is the CIO at Delta Systems, where he helps businesses turn messy ideas into working software, and the co-host of SaaS That App. Before joining Delta in 2022, Justin ran Iterative Consulting, a custom software shop, and later co-founded Strive DB, a SaaS company serving victim-service organizations. Across those roles, he’s gone from wiring up early-stage prototypes to steering large-scale digital rebuilds, and everything in between.
Aaron’s Background
Aaron Marchbanks is the Head of Engineering at Delta Systems and Co-host of SaaS That App. He has spent nearly two decades helping startups and established businesses alike bring their software products to life. Since joining Delta in 2006, Aaron has played a key role in launching and scaling dozens of B2B SaaS products across various industries, including logistics, healthcare, and professional services.
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