Ben Horowitz: RSI, Crypto as AI Money, & Classified Physics

February 24, 2026

Here’s something that caught my attention — Ben Horowitz dives into the wild world of AI and crypto on Moonshots. He’s asked, should we hit pause on AI development? But here’s where it gets fascinating — he told a Biden official that regulating AI really means regulating math. That stuns some folks, because it suggests AI’s core isn’t just tech, but pure numbers. Now, according to content+a16zpodcast@a16z.com, crypto might be the perfect fit for AI agents, serving as their native currency, because it’s decentralized and fast. And get this — there’s a gap between AI’s capabilities and how society actually adopts it. Ben points out that this divide could be wider than we think, meaning AI might be more capable than we realize, but societal barriers slow down real-world use. So what does this all mean? It’s a reminder that these technologies aren’t just about the tech, but about how we handle the big questions — regulation, trust, and timing.

Moonshots host Peter Diamandis speaks with Ben Horowitz, cofounder and general partner at a16z, alongside regular cohosts Salim Ismail, Dave Blundin, and Dr. Alexander Wissner-Gross, about whether AI can or should be paused, what happened when Horowitz told a Biden administration official that regulating AI means regulating math, why crypto is the natural money for AI agents, and why the gap between AI capability and societal adoption may be wider than people think. This episode originally aired on Peter Diamandis's Moonshots podcast.

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Audio Transcript