Subvolts take Search is evolving beyond humans to power AI agents, a foundational layer for the agent economy. Jun 4, 2026 - Developers
- Learn how search infrastructure needs to evolve for AI agents and the agent economy.
- Business
- Understand the foundational shifts in information discovery driven by AI agents.
This episode offers a solid interview with the CEO of a company building critical infrastructure for AI agents, a key area for future AI development.
Building Search for AI Agents with Exa CEO Will Bryk
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From Subvolts
Summary and analysis by Subvolts editorial, AI-assisted.
This AI + a16z podcast episode features Exa CEO Will Bryk discussing search infrastructure for AI agents. They explore why traditional search fails AI systems, how search evolves when autonomous agents are users, and search's role in the emerging agent economy. The conversation covers retrieval, agent workflows, coding agents, and data access, framing key tech problems as search challenges.
Imagine computers needing to find information not just for people, but for other smart computer programs. This episode explains how the way computers search for information must change to help these AI agents work effectively. It's important because better searching helps AI do more complex tasks.
This episode is for developers and product leaders building AI-native applications. It explains how search, a fundamental layer, needs reinvention for autonomous agents. Understanding this shift is crucial as frontier labs like Google Gemini and OpenAI develop more capable agents. Exa's perspective offers insight into a core infrastructure challenge for the next wave of AI products, impacting how information is discovered and utilized by machines.
- Hosta16z
- GuestWill Brykcofounder and CEO, Exa
- Guest: Will Bryk, Exa CEO
- Show: AI + a16z
- Length: 50 minutes
- Core Topic: Building search infrastructure for AI agents
Sarah Wang speaks with Exa cofounder and CEO Will Bryk about building search infrastructure for the AI era.
The conversation covers Exa’s origins, why traditional search engines were not designed for AI agents, and how search changes when the user is no longer a human but an autonomous system. They discuss retrieval, agent workflows, coding agents, data access, and why search may become a foundational layer for the emerging agent economy.
Along the way, Bryk shares his views on AI-native products, the future of information discovery, and why some of the most important problems in technology can ultimately be framed as search problems.
Resources:
Find Will on X: https://x.com/WilliamBryk
Find Sarah on X: https://x.com/sarahdingwang
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- AI agents
- Will Bryk
- Smart computer programs that can act on their own to complete tasks.
- retrieval
- Will Bryk
- The process of finding and getting specific information.
- agent economy
- Will Bryk
- A future where many automated computer programs work together to provide services.
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Questions people ask
- What is Exa?
- Exa is a company focused on building search infrastructure for the AI era, with its cofounder and CEO Will Bryk featured in this episode.
- Why are traditional search engines not suitable for AI agents?
- Traditional search engines were designed for human users, not for autonomous AI systems that require different ways of retrieving and processing information.
Page generated Oct 19, 2026. Summaries are Subvolts' own; the audio, artwork and notes belong to a16z.