Article

2026: The State of Consumer AI

Menlo Ventures · menlovc.com

Survey finding that 24% of US AI users use an agent regularly and 32% have let AI act for them without final approval, which is why the guardrails matter now.

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It answers 4 questions

  1. Should my startup add AI features, and which ones actually matter to users?
  2. What can go wrong when an agent acts on my behalf, and how do I keep it safe?
  3. When do AI-generated ads backfire, and how do founders avoid the AI slop trap?
  4. Do AI-made ads actually perform, or is it hype?

Read with it

  1. The single most important security idea for anyone deploying agents. simonwillison.net Article The lethal trifecta for AI agents Simon Willison
  2. The same argument in shareable form for your team channel. simonw.substack.com Article The lethal trifecta (newsletter edition) Simon Willison
  3. The full running history of the attack class, from the person who named it. simonwillison.net Article Prompt injection series Simon Willison
  4. The foundational explainer that makes the attack click in 15 minutes. simonw.substack.com Video Prompt injection explained, with video, slides, and a transcript Simon Willison
  5. Fresh real-world exploits showing this is not theoretical. simonw.substack.com Article Prompt injections as far as the eye can see Simon Willison
  6. The industry-standard checklist, free and framework-agnostic. cheatsheetseries.owasp.org Guide AI Agent Security Cheat Sheet OWASP
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