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? Follow everybody on X: Guido Appenzeller Matt Bornstein Yoko Li Check out everything a16z is doing with artificial intelligence here , including articles, projects, and more podcasts. Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
