2026: When your AI Agent needs a wallet and your plumber becomes a billionaire (maybe)

Prefer watching a video? I transformed this article into a video presentation using Google’s NotebookLM. It’s surprisingly accurate and even expands on some of the ideas. Give it a watch!

“Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future!” 😄 — Niels Bohr

Before we dive into my vision for 2026 (and beyond), I have a confession: I don’t have a crystal ball. But looking at the velocity of change we’re seeing at Pobuca, it’s clear that we aren’t just “using” AI anymore — we are merging with it. Some of these predictions might sound like sci-fi, and some might miss the mark by a year or two, but I believe that the direction of travel is overall right.

Here is what I believe 2026 has in store for us!

1. The great software extinction (and rebirth)

The SaaS model we’ve known for a decade will be effectively dead. In 2026, SaaS and agents merge completely. Every product becomes an agent platform, and those that don’t adapt are being bought for pennies or simply vanishing. At Pobuca, we see this evolution through Zemark, where Horizontal SaaS (like a CRM) is being swallowed by Vertical AI.

Why use a generic CRM when a niche agent specifically designed for dentists in Athens or solar sales reps in Germany can actually execute the work?

Software is even becoming disposable — apps are generated on the fly for a 72-hour task and then deleted like single-use plastic.

2. The machine economy takes the wheel

This is the year the “Machine Economy” truly wakes up.

• Agent wallets:AI agents now have their own wallets, using crypto to pay each other for data, API calls, and compute.
• Transaction volume:For the first time, the number of machine-to-machine transactions has surpassed human ones.
• The Obsolete Inbox: Internal emails are becoming obsolete because AI agents are the ones actually doing the work. Since every employee will have a dedicated AI assistant executing tasks across communications, the agents read and write everything themselves. Humans only step in as a Supreme Court when two agents cannot reach an agreement.
• Sovereign compute: Nations will shift from controlling currency to issuing sovereign compute credits. We may see the first sovereign AI trade wars, where exporting models is treated as espionage.

3. The search for truth (and SEOs funeral)

Traditional search is officially being replaced by answer synthesis. Your browser doesn’t give you links; it reads 50 sources and tells you the conclusion. Consequently, SEO will be replaced by “LLM Optimization” — a new marketing arms race to ensure your brand is the one the models recommend.

Marketing will shift from demographics to emotional signatures. We no longer segment by Male, 35-45; we segment by how a customer feels and reacts.

4. Education & the workforce flip

The Degree is being unbundled.

• University shift:Students are learning faster from adaptive AI tutors than professors. A major university drops its Computer Science degree, replacing it with Agent Systems and Model Psychology. Universities like Harvard are becoming more of a prestigious networking club than a place of study.
• Blue-Collar safe havens: As white-collar automation accelerates, wages for electricians, plumbers, and HVAC techs skyrocket. They are the safe havens AI can’t touch (yet).
• Human-Machine teams: Careers now favor those with AI fluency. Every employee gets a dedicated AI assistant for HR, scheduling, and internal operations.

5. The “Analog flex” and the new luxury

In a world of digital perfection, we are seeing a massive cultural counter-movement:

• Analog status:Film cameras, handwritten notes, and acoustic instruments are the ultimate flex because they signal friction — something AI cant fake.
• “AI-Free” organic:Products now advertise themselves as made by humans or AI-free as a premium feature.
• Humanity as a luxury: Customer support is now mostly AI. Talking to a real human has become a “platinum-tier” upsell. People are even paying for “data poisoning” products to pollute their digital footprints so models cant profile them.

6. Entertainment & the copycat economy

• Infinite content: Netflix now lets you continue cancelled shows just for yourself. Want a new episode of The Office or Friends based on your current mood? AI generates it dynamically. (ok, ok — not in 2026, maybe later, but it’s kind of cool, right? 🙂)
• Product DJs:In the copycat economy, products get cloned instantly. Value has shifted from individual features to mix and timing. Original creators are now Product DJs.
• Micro-companies: We are seeing an explosion of tiny, weird AI-augmented businesses serving tiny online tribes.

7. Retail, hardware & the physical world

• The new hardware:The smartphones decline is finally visible. Hardware is back with AI pins, earbuds, and ambient devices that make typing feel like dial-up internet.
• AI retailers:The first AI-native retailers are cracking real-time product creation — design, production, and marketing are now one continuous loop.
• Physical AI:Humanoid robots from Tesla and Agility have moved from demos to actual factory floors, slashing defects and cycle times.
• Healthcare: AI is finally shrinking the global health gap, moving into real-world symptom triage and treatment planning for millions.

Closing Thoughts: The Pre-2023 Museum

Perhaps the most poignant shift is that the pre-2023 internet is now being archived like a museum. It is the most valuable dataset on earth because it is the last reservoir of pure human thought before the AI boom!

The fastest way to build wealth today? Spotting the assets that are mispriced because people still underestimate how fast this is moving.

Don’t wait for the public to notice — by then, the market has already moved.