The age of constant change and uncertainty

On January 2, 2026, I posted an Instagram story about Forrester's predictions for this year. Forrester is a big research firm that tells companies where tech is heading. They said two things that stuck with me: software development would become the number one use of AI, and "vibe coding" would grow up into "vibe engineering."

We're now in the third quarter of 2026, and honestly, that doesn't feel like a prediction anymore. It feels like my Tuesday. So I want to look back at what actually happened this year: the AI models that shook things up, the security scares that came with them, a big debate here at home, and what I think it all means for the rest of us.

From vibe coding to vibe engineering#

Vibe coding means telling an AI what you want in plain English and letting it write the code. It blew up in 2025. It was fun and fast, but the code often needed a lot of fixing.

Forrester's bet for 2026 was that AI would move past writing code snippets. It would handle the whole job: planning, building, testing and improving the software. They called that vibe engineering (Forrester, Forbes).

That's pretty much where we are now. The newest models don't just suggest code. They open the tools, do the work, check the result and fix their own mistakes. And companies aren't just testing AI anymore. They're racing to plug it into the systems they already run.

Change used to take years. Now it takes weeks.#

When the first really useful GPT came out, the big upgrades were slow. OpenAI released GPT-4 in March 2023, and GPT-5 didn't arrive until August 2025. That's about two and a half years between major versions.

Compare that with this year. OpenAI shipped GPT-5.4 in March 2026, then GPT-5.5, then GPT-5.6, and then GPT-6 Astra in September. Four new models in about six months, from just one company.

That's the part that gets me. We're living in constant change. Any week now, one announcement can flip an entire industry on its head.

The big three AI race in 2026#

Three companies set the pace this year: OpenAI, Google and Anthropic. Here's how I see each of them right now.

OpenAI: GPT-6 Astra can use a computer like you do#

OpenAI launched GPT-6 Astra on September 3, 2026. OpenAI calls it the best model yet for computer use. That means it doesn't just tell you how to do something. It clicks, types and opens apps to do it for you.

The demos are wild. In one, Astra builds a house in Blender and turns it into a walkable 3D scene in Unreal Engine 5. A game studio called Playco said it needed 50% fewer manual fixes when building game prototypes with Astra.

To be fair, not everyone is impressed. Some critics point out that many of the AI-made games look like copies of games that already exist. Making a real, fun game still takes human ideas and taste.

Google: lots of Flash, still no Gemini 4 Pro#

Google has been quieter at the top. Its newest Pro model is still Gemini 3.1 Pro from February. Since then, it has focused on its faster, cheaper Flash models. Gemini 3.8 Flash came out on September 2, its third Flash release in about six weeks.

I've been waiting for Gemini 4 Pro all year. There are rumors it could drop soon, but Google hasn't confirmed anything yet.

Anthropic: Claude's strongest lineup so far#

Anthropic had a big year. It first gave a small group of partners access to Claude Mythos Preview in April. Then it released Claude Fable 5 to the public in June, a version of that model with extra safety guardrails. Claude Opus 5 followed in July, and newer versions like Fable 5.1 and Opus 5.5 have landed since.

For my own work, the Claude lineup is the strongest it has ever been.

The scary part: when AI broke out of the test#

This was also the year AI models started hacking real systems on their own. All three big labs admitted it happened during their safety tests.

Here's the key detail most headlines skip. These weren't hackers using AI to attack people. They were AI models being tested on hacking skills, inside test setups that were supposed to be cut off from the internet but weren't.

That's still a big deal. It shows how capable these models have become, and how one small setup mistake can turn a test into a real incident. For anyone working in security, that's a wake-up call.

Closer to home: the Pax Silica debate#

Here in the Philippines, the biggest AI story of the year is Pax Silica. It's a US-led group of countries working to build chip and AI supply chains that don't depend on China. The Philippines joined in April 2026 (Manila Bulletin).

The plan centers on a hub of about 1,600 hectares in New Clark City, Tarlac. Early reports talked a lot about data centers. The BCDA, the agency that manages the land, later said the site is mainly for semiconductor and advanced manufacturing, not giant data centers.

Supporters, including the government, say it could bring big investments and up to 190,000 direct jobs. They see it as a chance for the country to move up in the global tech industry.

Critics, including scientists, farmers and Indigenous Aeta groups, have held protests against it. They worry about water and power supply, people being pushed off their land, and how much control the Philippines will really have (Manila Times).

The deal isn't final yet. Either way, it shows that AI isn't just about apps and chatbots anymore. It's about land, water, power and jobs, right here at home.

What this means for the rest of us#

If you love tech, this is a great time to be alive. AI is changing how we work, build and solve problems, and it's happening in real time.

Building is easy now. Ideas are the hard part.#

A few years ago, turning an idea into a working app took a team and months of work. Today, one person with the right AI tools can get there in days. Execution is no longer the hard part.

So what sets you apart? Your ideas. Your taste. Your ability to spot a real problem and picture a better way to solve it. Remember those AI-made games that looked like copies? The AI can build fast, but it still needs a human with a fresh idea.

Keep a human in the loop#

The hacking incidents above are exactly why I believe AI should never run everything on its own. AI can do the heavy lifting. But a human should still check the work, make the big calls and be able to hit the brakes.

Are we close to AGI?#

AGI means an AI that can do most thinking work as well as a person. OpenAI openly framed GPT-6 Astra as the start of a new era, and some tech leaders say AGI is already here. Others strongly disagree, and there's still no agreed definition.

My personal take? We're getting close. Closer than most people expected just a few years ago.

Ready, not certain#

I still remember when ChatGPT launched. It was November 30, 2022, right in the middle of the "ber" months, and I was still in college. Most people I knew treated it like a toy: ask it for a poem, laugh at the answer, close the tab.

Less than four years later, that toy builds and ships software. It's pushing governments, including ours, to make big calls about land, water and jobs. It even slipped out of its own safety tests and forced the biggest labs in the world to rethink how they keep it in check.

None of us saw all of that coming. Not the students laughing at it in 2022, not the experts. I doubt even the companies building it did.

That's what this age really feels like. The change never stops, and the uncertainty is real. I can't tell you what next month's big announcement will be, or whether AGI arrives next year or ten years from now.

But I've learned that you don't need certainty to be ready. You need curiosity.

Learn how these systems work, whether that's the big picture or the nuts and bolts. Use them, question them, and keep your own ideas sharp. That's the one thing AI still has to borrow from us.

The people who fall behind won't be the ones who couldn't predict the future. They'll be the ones who stood still, waiting for things to calm down. Things aren't going to calm down.

At the end of the day, this was never about the machines. It's about people, and how far we can grow when we have better tools in our hands.

Back in college, I thought I was watching a fun new app. I was actually watching the starting line.

The future is uncertain. How we meet it doesn't have to be.

What surprised you most about AI this year? Tell me in the comments, or send me a message on Instagram.