Strategies and Surprises: A Peek into the World of an AI Product Manager
What is an AI PM and what do you do?
The nature of Product Management (PM) roles varies significantly from one company to another. Companies may opt for versatile PMs with a broad skill set, while others prefer a more specialized approach, designating Technical PMs and Marketing PMs. Airbnb, for instance, holds a strong preference for well-rounded PMs capable of seamlessly engaging with both developers and marketing professionals. This trend is likely to extend to AI PM roles.
In essence, an AI PM functions as a PM within the realm of artificial intelligence, collaborating closely with the machine learning team. The primary focus of an AI PM is making sure ML products are providing as much value as possible to customers. Achieving success in this role necessitates a dual proficiency in fundamental machine learning concepts, alongside a comprehensive understanding of product management principles — skills shared with traditional software PMs. Effectively navigating the intersection of these domains empowers AI PMs to orchestrate the intricate dance between technology and product development.
Machine Learning vs Traditional Software
Before AI became a thing, a product’s development cycle usually kicked off with the software team. Nowadays, it may begin with Machine Learning (ML) teams working on newer and better versions of existing models. Sometimes these changes are small and don’t require any tweaks to the software, going straight to QA (Quality Assurance). Other times, when new models bring different functions, adjustments to the front end, back end, and other services may be needed. In such cases, it’s typical for the feature to then go through the “traditional software team.”
Because of this, an AI product manager needs to be familiar with both Kanban and Scrum, attending meetings of both teams if they’re separate, and feeling at ease with how they operate. Additionally, as shown in the image above, AI product outcomes are often less predictable and more exploratory, resembling R&D teams in many ways.
Defining an (AI) Product Manager
Beyond the proficiency to steer development teams, a Product Manager (PM) must also possess a fluency in business concepts and design. In many ways, being a PM parallels the role of a grandmother. Yes, you read that right. Consider the reminiscent charm of your grandmother’s role. In the days of yore (or perhaps, if you’re fortunate, in the present), she would graciously step into your home when your parents were away, conjuring up your favorite dish — perhaps an exquisite Francesinha (essentially it’s a sandwich with a delicious sauce).
She had a knack for knowing your spice preferences and always added your favorite sauce. Recognizing your sister’s dislike for seafood, she’d cleverly switch to tomato sauce. She also remembered your go-to combo of Coca-Cola and fries on the side. Beyond being a stellar cook, your grandmother was a top-notch Product Manager.
Similar to a seasoned PM, she understood her “clients” (you and your sister) inside out and kept a pulse on the market, timing the introduction of new features perfectly — in this case, a delicious meal served at 7 pm. She skillfully catered to stakeholders’ needs (no salt on the fries) and grasped the importance of exceeding expectations, surprising you with an extra dessert.
When your parents returned, a quick 1-minute chat with your nanny efficiently summarized your shared activities without delving into unnecessary technicalities. As with any great PM, she excelled as a simplifier, transforming intricate details into easily digestible narratives.
To be more specific, as an AI PM, your sphere of interaction extends to all stakeholders and individuals, akin to a “traditional” PM. However, your role comes with an additional dimension involving close collaboration with the machine learning team, labelers, and data scientists. In numerous instances, you serve as the ML team’s spokesperson, tasked with the crucial responsibility of bi-directional communication. This entails conveying updates on customer insights, market dynamics, competitive landscape, company developments, and team progress, while also ensuring that valuable inputs from these domains are effectively communicated back to the ML team.
Are you the CEO of the product?
Absolutely not. While you bear the responsibility for the product, you won’t manage anyone on the team. Your communication style revolves around phrases like “I think” and “Have you thought about…,” emphasizing the use of soft influence rather than issuing directives (a strategy I wouldn’t recommend for a CEO). This underlines the significance of emotional intelligence (EQ) in effective Product Management. Proficiency in articulation is as critical as astuteness in interpreting social cues and gauging the atmosphere. A more fitting analogy would be likening a product manager to a maestro directing an orchestra.
In the realm of Product Management, you assume the role of a maestro, overseeing the coordination of various instruments (teams) to compose a symphony (the product). It demands an understanding of each instrument’s intricacies and how they can harmonize cohesively, but you don’t need to necessarily know how to play each one of them. Your role is to guide them on what to play and discern when adjustments are needed to resonate more pleasingly with the audience. Crucially, you ensure that each member plays their part correctly, resulting in a final product that (hopefully) sounds exceptional!
A day to day in the life as an AI PM
As you may have gathered, Product roles encompass a wide array of responsibilities. Nailing down the day-to-day tasks is challenging due to the inherent variability; however, here are some common activities that I engage in at least every 2–3 weeks:
- Attend daily squad meetings and keep abreast of the team’s ongoing activities. Let your developers talk, as these meetings are primarily intended for their discussions. Your key contributions will involve presenting new customer information, sharing findings from recent customer discoveries, outlining the vision for new features, addressing any emerging issues, participating in company-wide communication, and highlighting recent victories of your team. Sharing these small wins serves as one of the most effective methods for sustaining motivation within your team.
- Helping your team unblock tasks they need assistance with from other teams or simply helping out with fixing something.
- Hopefully, you will have some time to talk to clients on a weekly basis (part of a product discovery you are doing, or gathering feedback from a recent feature).
- You will be aligning expectations within your company regarding the capabilities and limitations of future models.
- You will be working with design, engineers, and marketing to bring new features to life
- You will be wearing different hats and making things move, from opportunities you are assessing, to ideas you want to run through people. A PM does everything it takes to ship their products successfully
- You will be working with TS (Technical Support) on issues from production
- You will be working with CS (Customer Success) and sales to understand customer problems and potential improvements to your product
- You will be preparing presentations for meetings with stakeholders where you present recent developments, future features, or product demos
- You will serve as the communication door between your developers and your customers
- You will be creating new user stories for your team to develop
- You will be organizing/rallying multiple teams around a feature you are shipping
- You will be curating PRDs (product requirement documents) or other important documentation
- You will be holding brainstorming sessions with your team
- You will be thinking about future features and possible ways to meet a customer problem.
- You will focus on your product’s vision and strategy
- You will conduct competitor analysis and keep abreast with industry developments
- You will keep track of the roadmap and check progress towards your goals
- You will be conducting refinement sessions with your engineering team to align technical matters
- You will be communicating potential delays and achievements to the whole company
- You will manage the backlog and decide which features to develop first
- Once in a while (usually on a quarter basis):
- You will be curating roadmaps together with key stakeholders that align with your company's overall strategy
- You will be defining KRs (Key Results) that align with your Objectives (from the OKRs framework)
Final Thoughts
The goal of any PM (AI or not) is to deliver the most value to the customers, and this is often called the art of Product. How can one build and ship great products that customers are willing to pay for?
This is where things start getting fun; that’s where the art comes to life. All the frameworks, concepts, and best practices revolve around this simple idea. If this fails, nothing else matters.
One of the most important concepts any AI PM needs to master is the ML Lifecycle. Check it below!👇
