Resilient City Digest. Edition 9

Hello! MISTO welcomes you to 2026 and is pleased to present the latest digest featuring key updates from the world of resilience tech and smart cities.

The new year has already brought a wave of changes and technological trends: AI agents are evolving into complex systems capable of solving sophisticated tasks, smart cities are fully transitioning to data-driven governance powered by automation and artificial intelligence, and autonomous taxis are operating on city streets.

In this digest, we explore the key trends shaping 2026 and share MISTO’s plans for the year ahead. Join us and keep reading!

Technology Trends Shaping 2026

According to Gartner forecasts, the following key technology trends will shape the business and urban landscape in 2026:

• AI-native development: Companies are shifting toward building solutions where artificial intelligence is the foundation of the system architecture. This means new applications are designed from the ground up with machine learning, natural language processing, and autonomous decision-making capabilities at their core.
• Domain-specific LLMs: Instead of relying on general-purpose large language models, organizations are developing specialized LLMs trained on data from specific industries. For example, medical LLMs understand clinical terminology, while financial models are tailored to regulatory requirements and market dynamics.
• AI-supercomputers: Leading investors are funding the development of specialized data centers equipped with GPU clusters and TPUs for training large-scale models. This enables the processing of massive data volumes and significantly reduces AI solution development timelines – from months to weeks.
• Human-centric AI: The focus is shifting toward intuitive user interfaces and the ethical use of technology, which is especially critical for the public sector, where citizen trust is a key success factor.

Together, these and other trends indicate a transition from experimentation to large-scale technology deployment with tangible business value.

Multi-Agent AI Systems: A New Era of Collaboration

The revolution in agentic artificial intelligence is unfolding faster than experts initially predicted. According to forecasts, the agentic AI market is expected to reach $10.86 billion by 2026, with a compound annual growth rate of 43.84%. Multi-agent systems are set to dominate this space—entire ecosystems of specialized agents, each responsible for a specific role.

Imagine a team of experts where one agent analyzes data, another generates hypotheses, a third verifies facts, and a fourth coordinates their work. This architecture mirrors microservices development in software engineering, where instead of a single monolithic application, there is a network of independent yet interconnected components.

Practical use cases for multi-agent systems include:

• corporate automation of customer request processing, financial report analysis, and supply chain management;
• scientific teams leveraging multi-agent systems for data analysis, hypothesis generation, and experiment planning;
• resource coordination, event forecasting, and response strategy recommendations — particularly relevant for urban challenges such as emergencies or infrastructure disruptions.

Despite their strong potential, multi-agent systems face several challenges. These include architectural complexity, the need for significant computational resources, and concerns around security and decision-making transparency. Organizations must carefully design system architectures, clearly define agent responsibilities, and implement robust governance and control mechanisms.

How Agentic AI Will Transform 2026

On the final day of 2025, Forbes published a provocative forecast  that sparked active debate within the technology community. The publication argues that agentic AI will not merely enhance existing processes but will fundamentally transform how work is performed and decisions are made.

As early as 2026, agentic AI is expected to become a digital colleague for millions of professionals. These systems will be capable of independently executing complex, multi-step tasks, allowing humans to focus more on strategic thinking and creative work. According to the forecast, every user will have a personal AI assistant that learns their preferences, work style, and goals. This agent will accompany the user across platforms and devices, delivering a seamless and continuous experience.

Over time, companies will begin selling not only products but also agents that help customers maximize the value of their purchases. One of the most compelling scenarios involves interaction between agents from different organizations. A personal agent could negotiate with a supplier’s agent, align contract terms, and schedule meetings on the user’s behalf. This will require the development of new communication protocols, standards, and regulatory frameworks.

However, the growing autonomy of AI agents raises critical questions of accountability. Who is responsible for an agent’s mistakes? How can transparency in decision-making be ensured? How can manipulation and misuse be prevented? Experts emphasize the need to develop ethical standards and regulatory mechanisms in parallel with technological advancement.

Autonomous Mobility: From Pilots to Commercial Deployment

The autonomous transportation sector is set for transformative change in 2026. After years of testing and pilot projects, the technology is finally moving into commercial operations. The autonomous vehicle market is showing strong momentum, growing from $760 million in 2025 to a projected $12.8 billion by 2034.

Robotaxis are already a reality in several cities worldwide, promising to reduce trip costs by 40–60% compared to traditional transport and make mobility services more accessible to millions of people. Their key advantages lie in predictability and reliability: autonomous systems do not get tired, are not distracted, and consistently comply with traffic regulations.

Autonomous freight delivery and courier robots are also rapidly transitioning into real-world deployment. Small wheeled robots deliver parcels within neighborhoods, while drones serve remote locations.

At CES 2026, NVIDIA unveiled a new vehicle platform called Alpamayo, designed to enable cars to “think” like experienced drivers — understanding context, analyzing the intentions of others, and planning several steps ahead.

And this is only the beginning. 2026 is set to be a landmark year for technological breakthroughs and innovative urban solutions.

MISTO in 2026: What’s New

The past year was especially important for MISTO, as the successful launch in Odesa inspired the scaling of the solution. In 2026, MISTO is set to launch in new cities across Ukraine — announcements coming soon!

This expansion is not about simply replicating an existing solution. Each rollout involves full adaptation to local contexts, consideration of city-specific challenges and opportunities, and the deployment of unique functionality tailored to every new municipality.

At the same time, we are actively expanding the platform’s capabilities. Our plans include:

• launching new features;
• enabling deeper integrations between municipal services and beyond.

Follow us on LinkedIn and on our website to stay up to date with the latest smart city news from Ukraine and around the world!