Leveling-Up as a Product Manager in the Age of AI

Part One of Two

This blog post previews some of the points that I will cover in my upcoming one-hour virtual presentation to the Boston Product Management Association (BPMA) on September 28th, 2023 from 12-1pm EST.

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Product managers play an integral role in the effective introduction and adoption of AI capabilities in products and services. Whether integrating AI into established offerings or developing new AI-powered products from the ground-up, product managers are critical to success.

On the strategy front, product managers are responsible for identifying where AI can add the most value in solving problems, improving customer experiences, and meeting business goals. They conduct market analysis to pinpoint gaps or opportunities for AI solutions. Product managers define a vision and roadmap for AI products that aligns with overarching business objectives.

When it comes to product design and development, product managers collaborate closely with data scientists and engineers to translate AI strategy into defined requirements and user experiences. They manage agile development processes to bring AI products to market quickly. Product managers maintain a customer-focused lens, considering ethics, transparency, and interpretability in AI system design.

Strong communication skills empower product managers to educate both internal and external stakeholders on AI capabilities and limitations. They craft compelling value propositions and go-to-market plans to drive AI product adoption. Presenting complex AI concepts clearly is crucial.

With their pulse on markets and competitors, product managers continuously assess performance benchmarks and improvement opportunities. They leverage data to inform AI product optimization and new feature prioritization.

In essence, product management connects the dots across strategy, technology, design, and customer needs. By applying their multifunctional skillset, product managers serve as the glue that ultimately transforms AI research into adopted solutions that create tangible value.

Here are some ways product managers can level-up their skills and add value in the age of AI – in order of occurrence:

• Get fluent in AI, ML, and data science fundamentals. Learn how these technologies work so you can understand capabilities and limitations. Read up! (Start here)

• Use GAI – ChatGPT, BARD and Claude – in your daily work life.

• Brush-up on your technical skills. Be able to interface with engineers and data scientists to effectively collaborate. Learn to code if you don't already. No-code or Low-code products may prove to be a good first step for you.

• Understand the ML, Generative AI — the LLM ecosystem, imaging, database (e.g., Pinecone – a vector database) and other leading AI technologies.

• Focus on problem solving and critical thinking. AI is a tool. You need to identify the right problems to apply it to.

• Improve your communication and influence abilities. Realize you are key communicator in your company. Be able to explain difficult concepts related to AI clearly to stakeholders. Convince them on the value propositions.

• Develop strong strategic and analytical abilities. Use data to drive insights and decision making. Adopt a test and learn – i.e., experimentation – mindset.

• Enhance your user and market research skills. Deeply understand customer needs and friction points. Identify opportunities to apply generative AI, ML, LLMs, neural networks and other elements of AI to solve real problems.

• Keep ethics and the responsible adoption of AI top of mind. Ensure transparency, avoid bias, and responsibly deploy AI tools. Establish guardrails and governance. Read about AI ethics and data biases to educate yourself about these damaging issues.

• Blend AI knowledge with product management best practices. AI product managers help drive AI that solves key business challenges. Be creative. Brainstorm innovative ways to leverage new tech, such as, conversational interfaces, market research from chatbots, predictions, personalization, etc.

• Focus on the full customer lifecycle on both sides of the fence. Look beyond feature development to compute costs, on-boarding, engagement, support, and churn reduction.

And ultimately…

• Develop a compelling AI vision. Connect it to business goals and customer value. Rally your team around it.

The key is evolving your skillset so you can effectively strategize, execute, and deliver differentiated solutions powered by AI and related advanced technologies.

In the second part of this two-part blog post (appearing in September), the key responsibilities of the AI product manager will be addressed as well as other issues.