Marc Andreessen has some tips for getting the most out of AI.
The venture capitalist said on Tuesday’s episode of the a16z podcast that AI tools can serve as “the world’s best coaches, mentors, therapists, advisors, and board members” for those who ask the right kinds of questions.
The co-founder of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz said AI is probably the “most democratic” technology in history. “The world’s best AI is fully available in an app that anyone can download.”
Andreessen said AI’s true power comes when users start treating it like a “thinking partner.” “Part of the art of AI is what questions you ask it,” he said.
He gave some examples using small and medium-sized enterprises. For example, a bakery owner can input everything from staffing schedules to customer emails to ad copy into an AI and have the model critique it all.
Andreessen also said product development would be done similarly, giving the AI a recipe and asking how it could be improved.
“What’s the best cinnamon roll recipe in the world? Work backwards from there,” he said.
“You can also say, ‘Look, I want to make the best thing in the world, but I need to make it at 1/10th the price,'” he says. “How can we optimize costs?”
Andreessen said meta-prompts can help users determine the best questions to ask the AI. Uncover your blind spots and reframe your approach.
“What questions should I ask?” He said users should ask the bot. “Please tell me how best to use you.”
It’s important to know how to prompt
Other technology leaders echo Andreessen’s point that knowing how to facilitate AI is key to maximizing its value.
Andrew Ng, founder of Google Brain, said at the Masters of Scale Summit 2025 in October that having “long conversations” with models will get better responses.
“AI is very smart, but it’s hard to understand context,” Ng said, adding that he uses AI in voice mode to brainstorm work ideas while driving.
Matt Barrington, EY’s Americas chief technology officer, said in an interview with Business Insider earlier this year that managing context in AI is important.
“We have separate AI ‘workspaces’ for each focus area, such as technical Q&A and draft client communications,” he said in a report published in February.
“Also, give the AI clear instructions on the style and depth of the answers you want, such as ‘provide a concise bullet-point summary,’ ‘act as a financial expert,’ and ‘cite and provide links to reliable sources and references,’” he added.
