TLDR;
- AI’s ability to engage users indefinitely is reshaping the value we assign to time.
- Ben Narasin believes proprietary data will lose its edge over time, pushing companies to build enduring brands.
- High-stakes sectors like healthcare and law are prime grounds for AI innovation due to their zero-error tolerance.
- Narasin’s long-term perspective sees AI impacting every aspect of life, more profoundly than even the internet or mobile.
Tenacity Venture founder Ben Narasin has sparked a timely debate on how artificial intelligence is reshaping core aspects of human interaction and value. Speaking during a Wednesday interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box, the pundit noted that “AI fundamentally changes the value proposition of time.”
Narasin on AI and Time
Ben Narasin, founder of Tenacity Venture Capital, believes that artificial intelligence is not just revolutionizing industries, it is changing the very economics of time.
Narasin explained how large language models (LLMs) can now engage users endlessly, with no fatigue, cost buildup, or pressure to conclude a conversation. This redefines how businesses approach service. If time no longer correlates with dollars spent on labor, customer interaction becomes limitless. Machines can speak for hours without a break, providing support, information, or even emotional connection, without draining a company’s budget or staff.
Beyond Data: The Race to Build AI’s Ford
Narasin drew a sharp comparison between the AI boom and the dawn of the automobile age. At the start of the car industry, there were thousands of companies. Eventually, only a few like Ford rose above the rest. He believes AI is in a similar phase, where the true winners will emerge not by simply having data, but by doing something uniquely effective with it.
He views proprietary data as fleeting. In Narasin’s view, companies that rely solely on keeping data locked up will eventually crack under market pressure to monetize it.
“If you can make an extra 10 million a year by hoarding your data, but 100 million by selling it, you’re going to sell it,” he noted.
That’s why he’s focused on businesses building strong brand identities and addressing high-stakes markets where reliability matters, places where you can’t afford AI to get it wrong.
AI Shows Its Practical Side
Notably, one of Narasin’s favorite examples is Hippocratic, an AI healthtech startup he personally backed. The company uses language models to follow up with patients after they leave hospitals, asking meaningful questions and triaging responses in real time. If someone says they’re having shortness of breath, the system immediately flags a human. In his view, AI isn’t replacing doctors or nurses but reinforcing their efforts in ways that were never scalable before.
He described how these systems can keep a conversation going for as long as needed. Patients who might otherwise be overlooked now get continuous support. And while some may resist speaking to a machine at first, Narasin says many come around once they see it works. He recalled one conversation where an AI assistant convinced a skeptical caller to stay on the line. In the end, the person laughed and allowed the system to help him.
Patience in the AI Game
Narasin didn’t leap headfirst into the AI frenzy. It took him 18 months of careful observation and discussion before he made his first investment. He believes AI will eventually touch everything, far more than the internet or mobile ever did, but not all companies are ready to lead. His portfolio includes ventures like Maestro AI, which acts as a digital chief of staff by observing workflow and offering management insights.
To Narasin, the future isn’t just about smarter machines. It’s about building systems that extend human capability while redefining what time and attention mean in an always-on world.
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