We’ve all been focused on building AI into our products, but the more interesting shift is happening right under our noses: AI is being built into our process. Tools that summarize user research, draft initial user stories from a PRD, or even analyze competitor feature releases in real-time are no longer science fiction. They’re here, and they’re acting as a ‘co-pilot’ for product managers.
This isn’t about replacing the core of what we do. Strategic thinking, user empathy, and stakeholder communication are more critical than ever. But this new wave of ‘process AI’ is poised to automate the grunt work and augment our decision-making. Imagine instantly synthesizing thousands of feedback tickets into key themes or getting a data-backed starting point for your next roadmap initiative. This frees us up to focus on the high-leverage, uniquely human aspects of our roles. The augmented PM of the near future might spend less time on manual analysis and more time on complex problem-framing and cross-functional leadership. But it also raises critical questions about our skills and workflows.
How are you and your teams starting to integrate AI into your product management lifecycle, and what skills do you think will become more—or less—valuable as a result?