What exactly is an AI agent, and how will agents change the way we work?
In this episode, a16z general partners Erik Torenberg and Martin Casado sit down with Aaron Levie (CEO, Box) and Steven Sinofsky (a16z board partner; former Microsoft exec) to unpack one of the hottest debates in AI right now.
They cover:
- Competing definitions of an “agent,” from background tasks to autonomous interns
- Why today’s agents look less like a single AGI and more like networks of specialized sub-agents
- The technical challenges of long-running, self-improving systems
- How agent-driven workflows could reshape coding, productivity, and enterprise software
- What history — from the early PC era to the rise of the internet — tells us about platform shifts like this one
The conversation moves from deep technical questions to big-picture implications for founders, enterprises, and the future of work.
Timecodes:
0:00 Introduction: The Evolution of AI Agents
0:36 Defining Agency and Autonomy
1:54 Long-Running Agents and Feedback Loops
4:49 Specialization and Task Division in AI
6:20 Human-AI Collaboration and Productivity
6:59 Anthropomorphizing AI and Economic Impact
9:10 Predictions, Progress, and Platform Shifts
11:31 Recursive Self-Improvement and Technical Challenges
13:20 Hallucinations, Verification, and Expert Productivity
16:20 The Role of Experts and Tool Adoption
22:14 Changing Workflows: Agents Reshaping Work Patterns
45:55 Division of Labor, Specialization, and New Roles
48:47 Verticalization, Applied AI, and the Future of Agents
54:44 Platform Competition and the Application Layer
55:29 Closing Thoughts and Takeaways
Resources:
Find Aaron on X: https://x.com/levie
Find Martin on X: https://x.com/martin_casado
Find Steven on X: https://x.com/stevesi
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