2026 New Opportunities in Consumer AI: From Templates to Multimodal, Capture Users' Hearts!

In 2025, the competition in consumer AI is extremely intense, with major tech companies launching new products to capture the market. However, an investor from a16z (Andreessen Horowitz) pointed out the truth behind this phenomenon: although there are countless products, few truly change user habits.

According to statistics, ChatGPT has 8-9 billion weekly active users, while its competitor Gemini has only one-third of that. The data shows that most users use only one AI tool, and the market structure of "winner takes all" is becoming increasingly clear. So, will there still be opportunities for AI startups in 2026? a16z believes the answer is yes, and the key lies in how to capture users.

The success of AI products does not depend on the level of technology, but on whether the product design meets user needs. a16z proposed three core strategies:

First Strategy: Lower the creation barrier with viral-style designs

Today, users tend to directly participate in creation rather than just interacting when using AI. For example, OpenAI's Ghibli-style images and GoogleNano Banana are popular due to their distinct styles. Through "template-based simplification," users only need to make simple adjustments to generate content and share it quickly.

Second Strategy: Break through creative paths with multimodal capabilities

The integration of multimodal AI functions brings new possibilities to content creation. Modern AI tools can not only handle text but also understand images and videos, greatly enriching the creative process. For instance, when users upload a video, AI can automatically generate related charts and copy, improving the efficiency of creation.

Third Strategy: Capture the deep end of professional users

Research shows that the professional user group in consumer AI is growing rapidly. These users rely more and more on AI tools. They not only subscribe but are also willing to pay for more features. a16z points out that these users are not occasional users but integrate AI tools into their daily workflows to improve productivity.