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Keycard: 2026 is the Year of Agents

January 8, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

🎙️ The Voices & The Context

  • The Format: A professional interview podcast episode from the A16Z Podcast, structured as a deep-dive conversation between host and guest on emerging AI tech.
  • The Key Players:
    • Host: Joel de la Garza, A16Z partner focused on security, kicking off with a real-world security incident to hook listeners.
    • Guest: Ian Livingston, co-founder and CEO of Keycard, expert in agent identity and security, sharing insider views on the agent revolution.
  • The Vibe: Educational and intense, blending excitement about AI agents' potential with urgent warnings on security risks—think tech optimists debating doomsday scenarios over coffee.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:00) **🎙️ Introduction: Ian Livingston**
  • 2 (02:20) **Core Agent Security Challenges**
  • 3 (05:28) **Agents as a Continuum from Copilots**
  • 4 (09:14) **Tool Calling Risks and Data Exfiltration**
  • 5 (10:38) **Parallels to Early Cloud and Networking**
  • 6 (13:50) **Defining and Identifying Agents**
  • 7 (16:04) **Dynamic, Task-Based Access Control**

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

In 2025, we saw the first glimpses of true AI agents. In 2026, every company will be rushing to get them into production, and they’ll need companies like Keycard to manage fleets of agents.

In this conversation, a16z Partner Joel de la Garza sits down with Keycard Cofounder and CEO Ian Livingstone to discuss the continuum from copilots to agents, the security realities of tool-calling, why enterprises will adopt before consumers, and how to control your agents.

Follow Joel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/3448827723723234/

Follow Ian on X: https://x.com/ianlivingstone

Follow Keycard on X: https://x.com/keycardlabs

Learn more about Keycard: https://www.keycard.sh/

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Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.


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