How AI Agents Will Transform in 2026 (a16z Big Ideas)

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

December 22, 2025

Duration

13m

Channel

a16z

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

AI is moving from chat to action. In this episode of Big Ideas 2026, we unpack three shifts shaping what comes next for AI products. The change is not just smarter models, but software itself taking on a new form. You will hear from Marc Andrusko on the shift from prompting to execution, Stephanie Zhang on what it means to build machine-legible software, and Olivia Moore on why voice agents are becoming practical, deployable systems rather than demos. Together, these ideas tell a single story. Interfaces shift from chat to action, design shifts from human-first to agent-readable, and work shifts to agentic execution. AI stops being something you ask, and becomes something that does. Timecodes: 0:00 Introduction: The Future of AI Interfaces 0:30 The Death of the Prompt Box 1:09 AI as the Ultimate Employee 2:28 Proactive AI in CRM and Workflows 4:09 Designing for Agents, Not Humans 5:28 Machine Legibility and Content Creation 8:48 The Rise of AI Voice Agents 9:25 Voice AI in Healthcare, Finance, and Recruiting 11:01 Challenges and Opportunities in Voice AI 12:32 Consumer Voice AI and Wellness 13:01 Building with Voice AI: Tools and Platforms Resources: Follow Marc Andrusko on X: https://twitter.com/mandrusko1 Follow Stephanie Zhang on X: https://twitter.com/steph_zhang Follow Olivia Moore on X: https://twitter.com/omooretweets Read more of our 2026 Big Ideas Part 1: https://a16z.com/newsletter/big-ideas-2026-part-1 Part 2: https://a16z.com/newsletter/big-ideas-2026-part-2 Part 3: https://a16z.com/newsletter/big-ideas-2026-part-3 Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg 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.

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Erik Torenberg

  host

  Host at a16z who introduces the “Big Ideas for 2026” montage segments and previews featured speakers.

• Marc Andrusko

  guest

  Partner on a16z’s AI applications investing team discussing agentic app UIs and the decline of the prompt box.

• Stephanie Zhang

  guest

  Investing partner on the a16z growth team focused on designing products and content for AI agents as primary users.

• Olivia Moore

  guest

  Partner on a16z’s AI applications investing team covering the rise of AI voice agents and practical experimentation platforms.

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of a16z, featuring Erik Torenberg and Marc Andrusko, How AI Agents Will Transform in 2026 (a16z Big Ideas) explores aI apps shift from prompting to proactive agent-led work experiences AI apps are moving beyond the prompt box toward proactive systems that observe work, propose actions, and require only final human approval in many cases.

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