a16z on what would make an AI assistant worth paying for
a16z · youtube · 2026-09-29
a16z GP Anish Acharya sits down with Assistant Benchmark creator David Pawlan to unpack the personal AI agent boom.
- David has tested dozens of assistants on real tasks—email, travel booking, financial admin—and argues the most useful agents will become invisible, proactively checking into flights, finding refunds and filing reimbursements.
- Key takeaways: cost savers beat time savers for willingness to pay, and proactivity is the real moat.
- They debate whether the winning interface is an app, text thread, voice or wearable; how much autonomy consumers will grant; and what the internet looks like when agents interact with other agents.
- Also covered: Poke, Instinct and Muse; Muse's charm as Meta's data play; Amazon blocking Muse while Shopify opens the door; and the $20/day agent economics.
Related event: a16z Podcast Explores the Rise of Personal AI Assistants(2 posts)→
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