How Foundation Models Evolved: A PhD Journey Through AI's Breakthrough Era
AI + a16z18 Marras 2025

How Foundation Models Evolved: A PhD Journey Through AI's Breakthrough Era

The Stanford PhD who built DSPy thought he was just creating better prompts—until he realized he'd accidentally invented a new paradigm that makes LLMs actually programmable.

While everyone obsesses over whether LLMs will get us to AGI, Omar Khattab is solving a more urgent problem: the gap between what you want AI to do and your ability to tell it, the absence of a real programming language for intent. He argues the entire field has been approaching this backwards, treating natural language prompts as the interface when we actually need something between imperative code and pure English, and the implications could determine whether AI systems remain unpredictable black boxes or become the reliable infrastructure layer everyone's betting on.

Follow Omar Khattab on X: https://x.com/lateinteraction

Follow Martin Casado on X: https://x.com/martin_casado

Check out everything a16z is doing with artificial intelligence here, including articles, projects, and more podcasts.

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.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jaksot(84)

AI Is Upending SaaS Pricing

AI Is Upending SaaS Pricing

In this episode, a16z GP Martin Casado sits down with Metronome CEO Scott Woody to unpack how AI is fundamentally changing the value proposition of software—and why that shift demands a rethink of the...

18 Heinä 202542min

The AI Infrastructure Stack with Jennifer Li

The AI Infrastructure Stack with Jennifer Li

In this episode, which originally aired on the Complex Systems Podcast, a16z General Partner Jennifer Li discusses how AI is reshaping every layer of the software stack, creating demand for new types ...

11 Heinä 202545min

AI's Unsung Hero: Data Labeling and Expert Evals

AI's Unsung Hero: Data Labeling and Expert Evals

Labelbox CEO Manu Sharma joins a16z Infra partner Matt Bornstein to explore the evolution of data labeling and evaluation in AI — from early supervised learning to today’s sophisticated reinforcement ...

27 Kesä 202546min

AI, Data Engineering, and the Modern Data Stack

AI, Data Engineering, and the Modern Data Stack

In this episode of AI + a16z, dbt Labs founder and CEO Tristan Handy sits down with a16z's Jennifer Li and Matt Bornstein to explore the next chapter of data engineering — from the rise (and plateau) ...

20 Kesä 202535min

Enabling Agents and Battling Bots on an AI-Centric Web

Enabling Agents and Battling Bots on an AI-Centric Web

Arcjet CEO David Mytton sits down with a16z partner Joel de la Garza to discuss the increasing complexity of managing who can access websites, and other web apps, and what they can do there. A primary...

13 Kesä 202526min

Giving New Life to Unstructured Data with LLMs and Agents

Giving New Life to Unstructured Data with LLMs and Agents

Instabase founder and CEO Anant Bhardwaj joins a16z Infra partner Guido Appenzeller to discuss the revolutionary impact of LLMs on analyzing unstructured data and documents (like letting banks verify ...

6 Kesä 202535min

Beyond Leaderboards: LMArena’s Mission to Make AI Reliable

Beyond Leaderboards: LMArena’s Mission to Make AI Reliable

LMArena cofounders Anastasios N. Angelopoulos, Wei-Lin Chiang, and Ion Stoica sit down with a16z general partner Anjney Midha to talk about the future of AI evaluation. As benchmarks struggle to keep ...

30 Touko 20251h 41min

Building AI Systems You Can Trust

Building AI Systems You Can Trust

In this episode of AI + a16z, Distributional cofounder and CEO Scott Clark, and a16z partner Matt Bornstein, explore why building trust in AI systems matters more than just optimizing performance metr...

23 Touko 202547min

Suosittua kategoriassa Liike-elämä ja talous

sijotuskasti
mimmit-sijoittaa
psykopodiaa-podcast
rss-rahapodi
rss-draivi
rss-rahamania
ostan-asuntoja-podcast
rss-sami-miettinen-neuvottelija
pomojen-suusta
inderespodi
rss-seuraava-potilas
herrasmieshakkerit
taloudellinen-mielenrauha
oppimisen-psykologia
rss-h-asselmoilanen
rss-paasipodi
rss-inderes
asuntoasiaa-paivakirjat
rss-lahtijat
rss-bisnesta-bebeja