Gradient Ventures’ Darian Shirazi on where AI value will accrue

Sometimes the best conversations are the ones you have more than once.

“I think that there are two types of investors right now. There are ones that are being thoughtful about it and steering clear of investments that could cause harm. And then there are some that are wading into them and don’t care at all.”
Darian Shirazi

This week, we talked to Gradient Ventures general partner Darian Shirazi about all things AI investment. Darian and I had spoken together recently during a fireside at CIX, but that conversation was only 25 minutes long and we both had a lot more to say. So we ran it back: bigger, longer, uncut.

Working at the venture firm originally founded by Google to invest in AI startups, Shirazi is well-versed in the state of the industry and where the value from the tech might accrue. In the episode, we try to identify where (if any) the AI moats exist, and match the progress of AI with other tech eras like the cloud.

Shirazi is also willing to wade into murky waters, separating venture investors thoughtful about the potentially harmful consequences of AI from those who don’t seem to care. It’s a salient moment given the recent departures at OpenAI from a VC that has invested in both Lambda and Canadian companies like CentML.

So where will the value in AI accrue? Let’s dig in.

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