2024 Big Ideas: Voice-First Apps, AI Moats, Never-Ending Games, and Anime Takes Off

Voice-First Apps, AI Moats, Never-Ending Games, and Anime. We asked over 40 partners across a16z to preview one big idea they believe will drive innovation in 2024.Here in our 3-part series, you’ll hear directly from partners across all our verticals, as we dive even more deeply into these ideas. What’s the why now? Who is already building in these spaces? What opportunities and challenges are on the horizon? And how can you get involved?Timecodes:00:00 - Big Ideas in Tech 202401:39 - Big Idea: Voice-First Apps Will Become Integral to Our Lives04:14 - The limiting factors of voice technology05:27 - What would a voice-first app look like? 06:52 - Voice tech for companionship and productivity 08:05 - The primary modality voice applications10:08 - How builders and founders can integrate voice technology13:31 - Big Idea: The Consumer AI Battleground Moves from Model to UX15:49 - How user experience can contribute toward building a moat17:57 - The commoditization of models19:55 - How should builders differentiate between model and experience?22:58 - Breakout examples for 202425:10 - Open source vs closed source26:44 - The impact of applications splitting from the infrastructure layer28:14 - Big Idea: AI-First Games That Never End29:59 -Generative AI in gaming and AI native games31:12 - Introducing generative agents as game companions 33:57 - Does the gaming community want hyper personalization?38:00 - New entrants vs the incumbents41:57 - How business models and cost structures are evolving46:21 - Advice for game builders in 202448:03 - Big Idea: Anime Games Go Mainstream49:28 - What defines anime?52:05 - Anime’s monetization strategy and how it differs from other genres54:04 - Why are we seeing a rise in anime?55:56 - What is required to be successful in anime58:20 - AI, XR and inventing the next wave of anime Resources:View all 40+ big ideas: https://a16z.com/bigideas2024 Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease 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.