Ep. 293 Predictions for 2026 from Gitlab

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Today, we have an experienced tech veteran, Bob Stevens from GitLab, offering insights on how he sees the federal government overcoming three main technology challenges in 2026.

Challenge ONE: Software improvement on scale.

Stevens observed that everyone has seen AI's ability to review code. It has passed the basic phase, and now, in 2026, it cannot only review code but also identify security vulnerabilities, ensure compliance, and even generate documentation.

This means that older, expensive-to-maintain systems can be transitioned to more flexible, economical cloud models.

Challenge TWO: Going away from reacting.

The word "continuous" has been the goal for cyber defenders for the past several years. Fortunately, AI is allowing that noble goal to be put into practice. When applied appropriately, newer technology can achieve lower breach rates and faster threat response times.

Challenge THREE: emergence of a "universal" developer.

Traditionally, requirements would be gathered by an intermediary and then translated into instructions for software developers. Stevens shows how newer AI-based approaches can eliminate that intermediary step.

In other words, a pilot can precisely describe what they want in an avionics system, and the developers can work from that description. That means solving domain-specific problems with traditional development skills.

Ideally, subject matter experts directly translate their knowledge into functional software systems. Some call this the "universal" developer approach.

Stevens emphasized the importance of AI, security, and flexibility for future developers. GitLab's DevSecOps platform integrates AI across the entire software development process.