In this episode of AI + a16z, a16z Infra partners Guido Appenzeller, Matt Bornstein, and Yoko Li discuss and debate one of the tech industry's buzziest words right now: AI agents. The trio digs into the topic from a number of angles, including:
- Whether a uniform definition of agent actually exists
- How to distinguish between agents, LLMs, and functions
- How to think about pricing agents
- Whether agents can actually replace humans, and
- The effects of data siloes on agents that can access the web.
They don't claim to have all the answers, but they raise many questions and insights that should interest anybody building, buying, and even marketing AI agents.
Learn more:
Benchmarking AI Agents on Full-Stack Coding
Automating Developer Email with MCP and Al Agents
A Deep Dive Into MCP and the Future of AI Tooling
Agent Experience: Building an Open Web for the AI Era
DeepSeek, Reasoning Models, and the Future of LLMs
Agents, Lawyers, and LLMs
Reasoning Models Are Remaking Professional Services
From NLP to LLMs: The Quest for a Reliable Chatbot
Can AI Agents Finally Fix Customer Support?
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Guido Appenzeller
Matt Bornstein
Yoko Li
Check out everything a16z is doing with artificial intelligence here, including articles, projects, and more podcasts.
