Power Platform 2026: Whats Next?

Key insights

• AI agents and Copilot drive the direction: Microsoft is embedding generative AI and agent templates into Power Platform to let citizen developers build intelligent apps faster.
  Expect adaptive app templates, CLI-to-agent patterns, and more AI-assisted builders that reduce custom code and speed delivery.
  
• Power Apps, Connectors, and Dataverse expand integration: connectors (including SharePoint Embedded) and tenant-level Dataverse storage make data sharing and app composition simpler.
  Extensible connectors and community demos show how real systems connect to agents and flows for practical business scenarios.
  
• Unattended RPA and desktop flows become enterprise-ready: unattended bots run serialized processes and support larger automation footprints when you enable Power Automate Premium.
  Licensing removes some per-user limits for add-ons, letting teams scale automation without adding individual desktop seats.
  
• Process mining and task mining add measurable improvement: these tools integrate with cloud flows to reveal bottlenecks and optimization opportunities and offer visual dashboards for analysts.
  Process mining add-ons are typically metered by data volume, so track storage and flow activity to manage costs and insights.
  
• Tenant pooling and capacity controls guide purchases: organizations pool Dataverse database and file capacity at the tenant level, can buy extra storage in 1 GB increments, and face practical caps on accrued credits.
  Plan for peak usage with rolling contracts and monitor tenant credits to avoid surprises.
  
• Governance, release waves, and community signals shape adoption: Microsoft follows wave-based releases and provides roadmaps, while community demos and tools like Content Management Assessment improve readiness and oversight.
  Use managed environments and governance policies to enforce standards as AI and automation scale across the organization.
  

Intro: A Video Snapshot of Power Platform in 2026

In a recent YouTube presentation, Shane Young [MVP] outlined where the Power Platform appears to be heading in 2026, and his analysis blends product updates, community demos, and practical governance observations. Consequently, his remarks highlight stronger AI integration, deeper automation capabilities, and evolving controls that aim to balance speed with safety. Moreover, the video serves as a vantage point for organizations to consider how low-code and agentic tooling will change development and operations over the next year. Therefore, this report summarizes Shane Young’s key points and explores the tradeoffs and challenges organizations must weigh.

Trends: AI, Agents, and Low-Code Evolution

Shane emphasizes that the Power Platform is evolving into a foundational low-code AI ecosystem where templates, connectors, and agents accelerate solution delivery. For example, he points to emerging agent templates and adaptive app frameworks that reduce the need for custom code while enabling more intelligent automation across scenarios. In addition, community demos show command-line to agent workflows via the Power Platform CLI, which suggests developers will have more flexible ways to trigger agent behavior and orchestrate tasks.

Furthermore, the video underscores how integrations with tools such as SharePoint - Lists Embedded and the wider Microsoft stack make building connected apps more straightforward. As a result, teams can combine data, AI, and automation faster than before, yet they must also manage the complexity that comes with agent orchestration and model-driven behaviors. Thus, while speed increases, observability and guardrails become more important to prevent unintended outcomes.

Capabilities: RPA, Process Mining, and Dataverse

Shane covers practical enhancements like unattended Power Automate RPA, task mining, and cloud-based process mining that link back into flow automation and reporting. Consequently, these capabilities allow organizations to identify inefficiencies, automate repetitive work, and measure outcomes through integrated visualizations and Power BI dashboards. Moreover, the platform’s tenant-level pooling of resources such as the Microsoft Dataverse database and file storage simplifies capacity planning, although administrators still need to monitor consumption patterns closely.

Additionally, the video notes that add-ons like process mining are scoped per storage increments, and desktop flows include dedicated connectors that operate independently of Windows licensing. Therefore, teams must understand how cloud flows and desktop flows interact, particularly when processes cross cloud and client boundaries. In turn, this affects choices about orchestration models, whether to prioritize cloud-native flows or rely on local automation with RPA.

Licensing and Governance: Balancing Cost and Control

Shane lays out licensing realities, explaining that the platform uses capacity-based models and tenant-level add-ons that can simplify billing but also create hidden costs if not managed carefully. Consequently, organizations benefit from pooled capacity that smooths monthly spikes, yet they face tradeoffs between buying broad capacity and optimizing per-user or per-flow licensing to control expenses. Moreover, prerequisites such as Power Automate Premium for certain process mining features require planning to avoid surprises during procurement.

Governance is another focal point: Shane points to tools and dashboards that surface content health and readiness for AI features like Copilot, which help teams maintain standards. However, governance requires continuous investment in policies, monitoring, and education to ensure that rapid development does not produce sprawl or security gaps. Thus, the balance between enabling innovation and enforcing controls remains a core organizational challenge.

Tradeoffs and Challenges: What Teams Should Consider

The video highlights tradeoffs such as ease of use versus operational visibility, and speed of delivery versus long-term maintainability of solutions built with templates and agents. For instance, while adaptive templates can drastically cut development time, they might hide complexity that later complicates troubleshooting or scaling. In addition, introducing agentic automation increases potential attack surfaces and demands stronger identity, access, and data governance practices to reduce risk.

Finally, Shane stresses that community engagement and release wave planning are critical for staying current, but they also create a steady cadence of change teams must absorb. Consequently, organizations need to invest in training, change management, and observability to capture the benefits of AI-driven automation while mitigating cost overruns and compliance gaps. As a result, decision-makers should weigh the immediate efficiency gains against the operational demands that accompany an increasingly intelligent platform.

Community Signals and Roadmap

Shane’s coverage draws on community demos and weekly calls that demonstrate real-world integrations and the practical direction of the platform as release waves roll forward. For example, demos of CLI-to-agent transitions and SharePoint connectors show how community contributions often surface new patterns that Microsoft later formalizes. Moreover, roadmaps continue to track feature states from planning to launch, giving adopters advance notice to align projects with upcoming capabilities.

In summary, Shane Young’s video presents a pragmatic view of the Power Platform in 2026: the platform is moving toward more intelligent, automated, and integrated solutions, but success depends on balancing speed with governance, and cost with capability. Therefore, teams that combine thoughtful licensing choices, clear governance, and active community engagement will be best positioned to harness these advances while managing the associated risks.

Keywords

Power Platform 2026, Power Automate trends 2026, Power Apps roadmap 2026, Power BI future 2026, Microsoft Power Platform AI integration, Low code no code trends 2026, Power Platform governance 2026, Power Platform market forecast 2026