Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen said AI tools could serve as the "world's best coach, mentor, therapist, advisor, [and] board member" for users who pose strategic questions.

According to a 16z Podcast interview reported by Business Insider, the Andreessen Horowitz co-founder said AI is "the most democratic" technology because the best AI tools are freely accessible through apps anyone can download.

The growing accessibility is reflected in adoption trends: more than half of U.S. small businesses now use AI in their operations, double the rate in 2023, according to U.S. Chamber of Commerce data.

See Also: Mark Cuban Urges Job Seekers To Target Small Companies For AI Roles

Reality Check On AI Access

However, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently acknowledged that new compute-intensive AI features will require paid subscriptions due to high costs, contradicting Andreessen’s claim that “the very best AI” remains freely accessible to all users.

Small Business Applications Through Thought Partnership

According to the American entrepreneur, AI can be deployed to assist with tasks ranging from reviewing emails and staffing schedules to improving products and getting recipes, allowing users to treat it as a “thought partner” in their work. Andersen believes this unlocks the potential of AI.

“What’s the best cinnamon roll recipe in the world? Work backward from that,” Andreessen said. “You could also say, ‘Look, I want to make the best one in the world, but I need to do it at 1/10 of the price.'”

AI Mastery Drives Results

Marc Andreessen shares the opinions of Stanford professor Andrew Ng, who emphasizes the significance of strategic AI adoption and has stated that the most productive professionals are those who are “really on top of AI,” regardless of experience level.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.