Andreessen Horowitz's Big 2024 Ideas Mix AI, Gaming, And Security With Crypto

Andreessen Horowitz, the venture capital firm focused on technological advances, just dropped their 'Big Ideas in Tech for 2024' report. The VC highlighted the combination of artificial intelligence (AI), gaming, and digital security with crypto. Unlike the prior list, there was no mention of "zero knowledge" technology.

The a16z team highlighted the potential for decentralized marketplaces in democratizing AI, where anybody may contribute and get incentives. Carra Wu, an investment partner, said that developing AI-generated video games would require guaranteed, uncorrupted, and unbiased models, citing crypto as a solution.

Ariana Simpson, General Partner, also shed information on the evolving "play to earn" games. Simpson says that things are shifting toward a "play-and-earn" model, in which money is a result of playing.

In terms of security, the firm's CTO, Eddy Lazzarin, offered cryptographic "passkeys" for enhanced sign-ins on apps and websites. Daniel Reynaud wrote about crypto projects that help smart contract writers simplify formal verification for secure programs.

Despite many large crypto investments, including Yuga Labs, Solana, and Uniswap, the firm's crypto investing enthusiasm appears to be waning this year. Some in the crypto community were dissatisfied with Marc Andreessen's October "Techno-Optimist Manifesto," which omitted any mention of crypto.