a16z podcast: personal AI agents are exploding, and the best ones will be invisible
a16z · x · 2026-09-29
a16z's Anish Acharya sits down with Assistant Benchmark creator David Pawlan to unpack the explosion of personal AI agents.
- Pawlan has tested dozens of assistants on real-world tasks: email, travel booking, financial admin
- They argue the most useful agents will become increasingly invisible: proactively checking you into flights, finding refunds, filing reimbursements
- Discussion covers the winning interface (app, text, voice, wearable), how much autonomy consumers will grant, and agent-to-agent interactions
- They also explore commerce, restaurant reservations, and entirely new agent-native services
Related event: a16z Podcast Explores the Rise of Personal AI Assistants(2 posts)→
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