AI + a16z

What Is an AI Agent?

Episode Summary

Partners on the a16z Infra team discuss and debate one of the tech industry's buzziest words right now: AI agents. Guido Appenzeller, Matt Bornstein, and Yoko Li dive into everything from how to distinguish between agents, LLMs, and functions, to how to think about pricing agents.

Episode Notes

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:

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