Reid Hoffman says Silicon Valley's got a blind spot that savvy AI investors could be cashing in on

"Silicon Valley's obsession with software has created a blind spot, and it might be where the next AI revolution begins, said Reid Hoffman. The LinkedIn cofounder said on an episode of the a16z podcast published Monday that the tech industry's "everything should be done in software" mindset has become a limitation. That belief, which fueled decades of Silicon Valley success, now risks keeping innovators from seeing new opportunities, Hoffman said."

"Hoffman said he isn't betting on AI being able to design drugs independently. Instead, he said AI tools could guide scientists toward the most promising experiments. 'Simply doing prediction and getting that prediction right - and by the way, it doesn't have to be right 100% of the time,' he said. 'It has to be right like 1% of the time, because you can validate the other 99%'"

Silicon Valley's software-first mindset has created a blind spot that limits recognition of new innovation opportunities. Biology represents a domain where AI-driven advances could spark the next generation of iconic companies. Fields deemed too complex, slow, or regulated present a long runway for building transformative ventures. AI is unlikely to design drugs entirely autonomously, but AI tools can guide scientists toward the most promising experiments. Prediction does not need perfect accuracy; even a 1% correct prediction rate can identify viable candidates when experiments validate the remainder. Combining the worlds of atoms and bits can elevate human life and unlock major breakthroughs.

Read at Business Insider