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Intelligence is the Primitive. Applications are the Diffusion Layer.

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) published a slide deck by Anish A. arguing that intelligence is the primitive and applications are the diffusion layer, emphasizing the importance of the application layer in AI. The deck outlines the overall situation, apps and the application layer, and consumer aspects, suggesting that the real value lies in applications that diffuse intelligence.

read1 min views3 publishedAug 25, 2026
Intelligence is the Primitive. Applications are the Diffusion Layer.
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America | Tech | Opinion | Culture | Charts

Today we’re trying something new. We’re sharing a slide deck, “Intelligence is the Primitive. Applications are the Diffusion Layer” by Anish A, that he originally put together for a smaller audience. There’s a lot of great stuff that gets made internally at a16z, and we look forward to sharing more of it here on a regular basis, when we’re able. - Danco

Overview: what is the overall situation?

Apps & the Application Layer

Consumer

Thank you for reading! If people like them, we’ll publish these on a regular basis.

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