Software Development in 2027: What We Expect

In short: Two forces will shape software development through 2027: AI tools that complete whole tasks on their own, and European regulation such as the Cyber Resilience Act, the AI Act and accessibility requirements. For businesses that means software can be built faster, while quality assurance, security and documentation matter more. If you commission software, look harder at a partner's review process than at raw development speed.

How we arrived at these expectations

Technology predictions are often wrong. We therefore stick to developments that are already visible: tools we use every day and laws with fixed deadlines. What follows from them by 2027 is our assessment, not a certainty.

AI agents become part of everyday development

From suggestion to finished task

The first generation of AI assistants completed lines and functions. Today's tools work as agents: they read a repository, edit several files, run tests and react to error messages. We expect that by 2027 agents will handle routine work in most professional teams, such as updating dependencies, adding tests or fixing small bugs. Our post on AI coding assistants like Copilot and Cursor gives an overview of the current tools.

The bottleneck moves to review

When code is produced faster, reading and checking it becomes the scarce resource. Teams need better automated tests, clearer architecture rules and code reviews that look specifically for security holes and business logic errors. Investing in good test coverage now pays twice, because AI agents work much better against reliable tests.

Specifications gain weight

An agent implements what you describe. Vague requirements always produced the wrong software, and with AI tools that just happens faster. Clear requirement documents, acceptance criteria and interface descriptions become a central part of development work. We describe the broader shift in AI-first development.

European regulation reaches daily work

Cyber Resilience Act

The Cyber Resilience Act covers products with digital elements sold in the EU, which includes connected devices and many software products. Reporting obligations for actively exploited vulnerabilities apply from September 2026, the remaining requirements from December 2027. Manufacturers must then, among other things, provide security updates for a defined support period and maintain a software bill of materials (SBOM). For many vendors that means new processes for vulnerability handling and documentation.

AI Act

The AI Act has been in force since August 2024, with obligations phasing in over time. Companies that build AI features into their products will need to deal with transparency duties and risk classification. The exact timing of some obligations is still being debated at EU level. We summarize the basics in the EU AI Act and your AI projects.

Accessibility

Since the end of June 2025, Germany's Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz, its implementation of the European Accessibility Act, has applied. It covers online shops and many digital consumer services, among others. We expect accessibility to become a fixed part of every acceptance test by 2027 instead of an optional extra. Our guide to web accessibility has practical advice.

Technical trends that continue

TypeScript remains the default language for web projects, on the server and in the browser. Frameworks move more work to the server and the network edge to shorten load times. In infrastructure, cost control moves to the foreground: many companies are taking a closer look at which cloud services they really need and are returning to simpler, well-understood architectures.

At the same time, integrating language models into business applications becomes routine. Analyzing documents, triaging requests and drafting text turn into normal features of business software that nobody calls a pilot project any more.

What this means if you commission software

Ask your development partners how they use AI tools and how they check the results. Look for automated tests, traceable documentation and a clear process for security updates. And plan regulatory requirements from the start instead of retrofitting them shortly before launch.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Will AI make software development much cheaper by 2027?

Individual tasks will get done faster. At the same time, the effort for review, security and documentation goes up. We expect more functionality for the same budget rather than drastically lower project costs.

Does the Cyber Resilience Act apply to custom software built for one company?

It depends on whether the software is placed on the market as a product. Custom software built purely for a company's own operations is in many cases out of scope. Get legal advice on your specific case as soon as you sell software or ship it with devices.

Should we adopt AI agents in development now?

Yes, with clear rules. Agents help with routine tasks but need good tests and human review. They should only see sensitive data and credentials in controlled environments.

Which developer skills become more important?

Architectural understanding, writing precise specifications, security knowledge and the ability to review someone else's code quickly and thoroughly. Raw typing speed loses value.

Conclusion

By 2027 software will be built faster and will have to be checked more strictly. Companies that invest in tests, documentation and clean processes now can use the new tools without falling behind on security and regulation.

If you want to build AI features into your software or your workflows, talk to us about AI and automation.