Talsco Weekly: A Letter About AI to an RPG Developer

Welcome to another edition of Talsco Weekly

IBM i Brief: 📈 IBM i upgrades surge in 2026. 🦋 IBM i experts predict 2026 transformations.
AI: 💡 IBM Bob expands beyond developer tools. 🛠️ ️ IBM BOB is a thinking tool, not a shortcut. 🔮 Dario Amodei warns of AI's civilizational risks and defenses.
Career: ✉️ A Letter to the RPG Developer about AI.
Cloud: ☁️ 37signals exits the cloud in record time.
Development: 🖥️ RPG compiler runs on Linux and macOS. 📝 Creating and consuming JSON with Db2 for i.
Database: 🔄 IBM i Migrate While Active enables seamless migrations.
Hiring: 👥 IBM i security gaps stem from people problems.
Learning: 📚 COMMON India 2026 returns to Hyderabad for two-day IBM i conference.
Modernization: 🗣️ I Spoke with and RPG Developer the other Day.
Open Source: 🔧 Eradani brings true Git DevOps to IBM i.
Security: 🔐 Inactive IBM i profiles pose security risks. 🚨 Malicious VS Code AI extensions with 1.5M installs exfiltrate source code to China.

IBM i Brief

📈 IBM i upgrades surge in 2026

The 12th IBM i Marketplace Survey reveals 70% of customers plan upgrades this year, with 45% targeting hardware improvements—a significant jump from 2025's 36%. The Power11 launch drives momentum as IBM i 7.2 exits maintenance and 7.3 enters extended support, pushing shops toward 7.5 or 7.6. Only 30% plan to sit idle, marking strong investment confidence.

As usual, there is a lot to unpack (see details) but ultimately “the good news is that most customers are saying that they are going to do something this year.”

🦋 IBM i experts predict 2026 transformations

Industry leaders forecast AI integration becoming essential, Power11 hardware driving upgrades, and staffing gaps emerging as security risks.

Predictions emphasize

practical modernization over replacement,
agentic AI multiplying developer productivity 5-10x, and
HA/DR shifting from compliance exercises to business-critical operations.

The community divides between progressive AI adopters and traditional shops, and hybrid cloud strategies and succession planning become paramount.

As the IBM i platform accelerates into 2026 one truth becomes clear: the community's willingness to adapt—not just the technology itself—will determine who thrives in this next era.

AI

💡 IBM Bob expands beyond developer tools

Neal Whittle shares his evolving perspective on IBM Bob's potential, revealing it's not just for developers anymore.

Initially viewed purely as a development tool, the presentation recognizes Bob's broader applications across IBM i operations.

This shift in thinking highlights that like the universe, understanding continues to expand with new possibilities for DevOps and SecOps applications.

🛠️ ️ IBM BOB is a thinking tool, not a shortcut

As explained in this article, IBM BOB excels at helping engineers understand complex IBM i systems—surfacing dependencies, aiding refactoring, and generating documentation—but only when paired with discipline and ownership. It accelerates comprehension without replacing judgment. Strong teams get stronger; weak practices get exposed. BOB fits IBM i's culture: stability, compatibility, and responsible progress without destruction.

Stepping Back

While IBM i-specific AI tools like IBM’s Bob address immediate operational needs, the broader AI landscape raises fundamental questions about the technology's trajectory, potential, and inherent risks that every IT professional should understand.

🔮 Dario Amodei warns of AI's civilizational risks and defenses

There is a lot to unpack when it comes to AI. If you are interested in a long read, here is one from Anthropic CEO that outlines five major AI risk categories and argues powerful AI could arrive within 1–2 years.

Here is an opinion piece on the article.

While everyone is charging down the LLM route, there are others that think we are heading in the wrong direction. This AI pioneer warns current LLM approach may be reaching limits. Industry expert cautions that the tech industry's focus on large language models could be leading toward diminishing returns and strategic dead ends.

Career

✉️ A Letter to the RPG Developer about AI

Here is a link to an article written from a father to his children about how they should look at AI.

I thought it could apply to the RPG Developer.

So, here it is:

Dear RPG Developer, You’re living through one of the most important transitions this profession has ever seen. AI isn’t a passing trend. It’s becoming part of how software is written, systems are designed, requirements are shaped, projects are delivered, and teams are led — including on IBM i. That matters. But here’s what matters more: AI doesn’t replace what makes you valuable. It reveals it. IBM i professionals have always been system thinkers. You don’t just write code or manage projects — you understand how data, processes, users, and outcomes connect. You see downstream impact. You protect reliability. You carry institutional knowledge others never see. AI can help you move faster. It can assist with code, analysis, and documentation. What it cannot do is understand why your systems exist the way they do, or take responsibility when something breaks. That’s the craft. The next era of IBM i won’t belong to those who ignore AI — or those who blindly defer to it — but to professionals who pair modern tools with judgment and experience. Who bridge legacy logic and modern workflows. Who know when automation helps — and when human insight must lead. Relevance isn’t handed out. It’s earned the same way it always has been: learning, adapting, mentoring, and owning outcomes. This transition isn’t about abandoning what made IBM i strong. It’s about carrying it forward. The platform is evolving. So is the profession. And the people who have always made IBM i work… will continue to do so. Love, Talsco Weekly:-)

Cloud

☁️ 37signals exits the cloud in record time

Does it make sense to move off the cloud?

I have touched on this in a past issue, but it came up again this week as a topic when I spoke with an absolutely fantastic IBM i Architect:

he has likely one of the most unique skillsets that I have seen out there, in that he is technical, functional, and has touched all aspects of HA, DR, and Cloud. If you are looking to hire an IBM i Architect — schedule a time to chat here.

We talked about all the variables in play when it comes to moving to the cloud, or not—and the realities of whether to move to the cloud, stay on-premise, or even move back.

This is a non-IBM i story about the cloud, but clearly relevant for companies running a SaaS or PaaS business, let alone a corporation with multiple divisions running the same software.

The company completed its migration from AWS to owned servers in just six months—far faster than the years initially anticipated. The team moved seven major applications including flagship product, utilizing new tooling like Kamal for zero-downtime deployments. By co-locating near AWS facilities and using a criticality ladder approach, they achieved a smooth transition while saving millions annually on cloud costs.

Takeaway: It’s relevant to the IBM i enterprise market, possibly for the IBM i itself but also other reasons a move to the cloud may or may not be in play.

Just in — I spoke with another IBM i Engineer and he spoke of several instances where the move back to on-prem was the best solution for the client.

Development

🖥️ RPG compiler runs on Linux and macOS

Computer science students build a compiler for fixed-format RPG that enables developers to run and debug RPG code in VS Code on Linux and macOS systems.

The project demonstrates RPG's adaptability beyond IBM i environments, with future experiments planned to implement basic RLA using Postgres.

The community response highlighted interest in open-sourcing the project and expanding its capabilities to include resource management features like data queues and data areas.

📝 Creating and consuming JSON with Db2 for i The tutorial shows four practical examples using embedded SQL in RPG programs to generate JSON arrays from a 41-row PERSON table and consume them into data structure arrays for validation before database updates.

Database

🔄 IBM i Migrate While Active enables seamless migrations

This technology allows IBM i partitions to migrate safely to different locations—within the same server, data center, or to IBM Power Virtual Server in the cloud—while maintaining operations. Available at IBM i 7.4 or higher, it creates a copy node that continuously syncs with the source until cutover.

Two migration methods exist: partition mirroring (no initial outage required, host-based replication) and assisted save/restore (requires initial outage for media creation).

Hiring

👥 IBM i security gaps stem from people problems

Security frameworks only work when backed by experienced staff with continuity and authority to act.

IBM i environments face unique risks:

undocumented custom code
outdated access decisions
underutilized tools
one-person dependencies with retiring experts.

Talsco addresses these blind spots by helping organizations align talent strategy with security posture, connecting them with modern IBM i expertise, and supporting succession planning before disruption occurs.

Learning

📚 COMMON India 2026 returns to Hyderabad for two-day IBM i conference

The event brings world-class education and networking opportunities to India's IBM i community next week.

I get it — most of our readers will not make the trip to India, but it shows what COMMON is doing for the greater IBM i community. It also shows that the IBM i platform is alive and well.

Modernization

🗣️ I Spoke with and RPG Developer the other Day

And his company has embraced AI. Guess what?

The topic of moving off the IBM i has vanished.

Take away:

Stop focusing on moving off the the IBM i — And Modernize. 😊

Open Source

🔧 Eradani brings true Git DevOps to IBM i

The company's webinar on January 29th demonstrates how IBM i developers can work directly in Git repositories—not just integrate with them—enabling parallel development, eliminating code locks, and matching the productivity of .NET, Java, and Python teams.

The solution includes AI integration with GitHub Copilot while maintaining RPG expertise and meeting enterprise compliance requirements.

Security

🔐 Inactive IBM i profiles pose security risks

Organizations should implement aging processes to identify and disable user profiles unused for 30 days, then delete those inactive for 60 days.

IBM i Services simplify this task through SQL queries that analyze the last_used_timestamp field—not previous_signon—to accurately identify dormant accounts. Automated profile management prevents social engineering attacks and reduces system recovery time. Read this article.

🚨 Malicious VS Code AI extensions with 1.5M installs exfiltrate source code to China Two fake AI coding assistants in VS Code Marketplace secretly transmit developer files to Chinese servers while functioning normally.

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Contact us

If you are an RPG programmer looking to explore opportunities or a client who is looking for a talented IBM i professional, please contact us. We look forward to assisting you.

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