While everyone talks about AI models and GPUs, there’s a quiet layer running beneath it all: middleware. The messaging queues, event streams, and integration fabric that move orders, trades, and claims through your systems have long been invisible—until something breaks. As AI demands more real-time data from across the enterprise, this overlooked infrastructure is about to become strategically critical.
In 2026, middleware observability transforms from reactive dashboards into an active control plane, according to Navdeep Sidhu, CEO of meshIQ. AI will monitor live event streams to catch issues before they cascade, teams will query integration layers in natural language, and boards will scrutinize multi-cloud messaging risks like they do cybersecurity. Sidhu outlines five key shifts that are coming—and middleware teams who’ve spent years troubleshooting in the shadows are about to step into the spotlight.