David Benavides, professor and coordinator of the PhD program in Computer Engineering at the University of Seville, shares his perspective on the state of software development in 2026 in a feature published by Computerworld España.
Benavides describes artificial intelligence as the biggest umbrella driving change across the sector, highlighting the shift from AI copilots that simply complete code to agentive AI systems capable of receiving instructions and orchestrating entire workflows. He also points to “vibe coding” as a parallel trend, one that lets non-engineers produce software through conversational interaction with AI systems, distinguishing it from the more technical, AI-assisted engineering carried out by professional developers.
On the technical side, Benavides discusses the growing adoption of WebAssembly, which allows software components to run directly in the browser and distributes computing costs to the end user, linking this to sustainability concerns. He also stresses that despite the pace of automation, core engineering fundamentals must be preserved, noting that companies increasingly need fewer but more senior profiles capable of overseeing and governing AI-driven development.
Finally, Benavides addresses digital sovereignty as a growing concern, anticipating a shift toward smaller, on-premise models that let organizations benefit from automation without losing control over their infrastructure and governance.
Read the full article: https://www.computerworld.es/article/4187643/desarrollo-de-software-en-2026-entre-la-automatizacion-y-la-correccion-humana.html