The 4 Questions Product Managers Need to Ask About AI

TLDR: AI does not change the core principles of great product management. To excel there are 4 key questions every product manager should ask when bringing AI into their product.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force, reshaping how we live, work, and interact. For product managers and those at the helm of product-led organizations, the integration of AI is not just a trend but the future of product development.

The Great Divide

However, a recent survey conducted by Product Collective and Pendo highlighted a significant discrepancy in perceptions of AI between company leaders and product managers.

Nearly half of company leaders (44%) rank AI/ML skills as most needed to achieve business goals, while just 19% of contributors overall believe those skills should be prioritized.

This gap underscores a cautious or even wary stance among those who are closest to the front lines of product development.

Bridging the Gap

This blog series aims to demystify AI for product people, helping you foster a deeper understanding and the confidence needed to integrate AI into product your management practices. Now you can take a deep breath…Product Managers aren’t going away. AI does not change the core principles of great product management. And it can’t replace them either. Being customer-centric, possessing a keen business sense, and translating user needs into compelling product features remain indispensable skills. AI, in this context, is not a replacement but a powerful ally that can amplify these fundamental capabilities. In fact, it can help take on a lot of the grunt work and free up Product People to focus on the fun stuff like strategy and roadmaps with more certainty and confidence.

The 2 Ways…

There are 2 ways Product People should think about AI. First as a tool to help you build your product and improve internal processes. Essentially, as a way to make you be more effective in your role and day-to-day work. Second as a capability you can build into your product in the form of AI powered features that deliver value for users. Essentially, how to adapt your software strategy to bring AI into your product’s functionality. Understanding how to weave AI into your product’s functionality is crucial.

This series will guide product managers on adapting their software strategy to leverage AI effectively, ensuring that AI serves as a catalyst for product value and business growth.

The 4 Questions…

There are 4 questions Product People should ask:

How can AI make me more effective in my role? What are the core AI use cases for my product? What are the best practices for collaborating with teams on AI-powered features? How can AI accelerate product value and business growth?

Answering these questions will be the roadmap for this blog series, equipping Product People with the knowledge and tools to harness AI effectively.

Conclusion

The fundamentals of product management don’t change. Understanding your customers and translating their needs into compelling product features that drive business success are skills that are here to stay. As are Product Managers 🥳. AI can simply help us enhance these efforts, not overshadow them.

Next Steps: Join us next week as we take the first step towards integrating AI into our product management toolkit and answer the first of The 4 Questions with examples and use cases. “How can I use AI as a tool to make me more effective in my role?” Stay tuned…