a16z General Partner Andrew Chen: Entrepreneurs Must Realize Some 'Users' Are AI Agents
a16z General Partner Andrew Chen pointed out on social media that in the past, entrepreneurs were advised to "communicate more with users," but the difference now is that "some users may already be AI agents accessed via API calls." This statement vividly reveals the blurring of human-machine boundaries in the generative AI ecosystem— the true users of applications may no longer be natural persons.
Several English tech commentators echoed Chen's viewpoint, suggesting that this means product design, growth strategies, and pricing models will be redefined. When AI agents replace humans in initiating interactions, requests, and transactions, the definition of "users" shifts from individual experiencers to network entity nodes.
Source: Public Information
ABAB AI Insight
Chen的评论切中了AI产品化的核心转折——当AI代理成为高频使用者，创业公司面对的不再是“用户需求”，而是“算法行为”。这意味着产品反馈循环已从心理学维度转向机器学习维度。
这带来深远结构变化：商业生态中，数据、流量与交互正在机器间闭环化，真实人类的行为信号比例下降。对创业者而言，商业模型将逐步脱离传统的消费者心理预测，转向与AI生态兼容的“协议层博弈”。
更深层次地看，AI代理的崛起是“市场运行单位”的历史性替换。工业时代市场的基础单元是人，AI时代则可能是嵌入式智能体。Chen的警示，不只是创业建议，而是对未来经济活动主语的重新定义。