The rise of agents, led by Claude Code and the Cowork preview, signals a shift from traditional coding toward AI-driven software that can plan, execute, and learn with minimal human input.

As 2025 ends and 2026 begins, Claude Code is seen as a pivotal development that could redefine programming and fast-track AI-made software production.

Usability remains a barrier, with terminal-based tools feeling intimidating to novices, but improvements in UX and interfaces—such as Claude integrated with Excel—point to faster adoption.

Google reportedly has an agility gap, preferring open-source work and limiting Claude Code use, while developing Gemini-integrated coding agents to stay competitive.

Plan Mode introduces an architectural plan for human approval before execution, bridging raw code generation with professional-grade engineering.

The broader industry implications include democratising high-level engineering, a 70% rule where AI handles most implementation quickly, potential effects on junior pipelines, and risks from architectural drift and security concerns.

A key metric is that Opus 4.5 can complete long tasks faster than humans, with tasks that take hours potentially doable by AI, underscoring real productivity gains.

Anthropic’s Claude Code could threaten GitHub Copilot’s IDE dominance by positioning Claude-driven agents as the default for terminal-native, repository-spanning workflows.

Claude Code operates with longer memory through summaries, modular subagents, and tighter tool integration, enabling script writing, terminal automation, and website/app building.

Improvements over prior tools include compact memory, reusable subagents, and better tool integration, allowing broad generation of code and apps from prompts.

Claude Code marks a step change toward an agentic era where AI systems autonomously tackle tasks, potentially outperforming humans in many knowledge-work scenarios.

Prominent developers report dramatic productivity gains across tasks like tax prep, event booking, financial analysis, automation toolbuilding, and dashboard creation, all from AI-assisted workflows.