Beyond Autopilot: Intentional Product Leadership in the AI Age

Transcript

1. Beyond Autopilot Intentional Product Leadership in the AI Age
2. Let‘s be clear which aspect of AI in Product Management we talk about Building AI Products Enhancing Products with AI Using AI in our product work Building AI Products Enhancing Products with AI Using AI in our product work
3. AI enhancement becomes a natural part of our setup and will change our ways of working forever.
4. There‘s great potential in using AI to enhance our product work – if we get it right!
5. There‘s a strong temptation of over- reliance on AI tools
6. How about you?
7. 66% of knowledge workers report having relied on AI output at work without having critically evaluated the information it provides.* High quality AI increases complacency and leads to worse decisions** 52% are reluctant to admit using AI for important tasks.*** *University of Melbourne 2025: Trust, attitudes and use of AI (n > 48K people) **Ethan Mollick: Co-Intelligence *** Microsoft 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report (n > 31k people) Your not alone: Many knowledge workers over-rely on AI
8. Overreliance on AI leads to trust issues in collaboration
9. Once lost, trust takes a long time to rebuild
10. These human qualities in product management are at risk as well Curiosity Clarity Product Sense
11. How can we enhance our product work with AI - and still maintain trust, curiosity & clarity?
12. We need to be intentional in how we use AI in our product work …individually
13. 1. Calibrate your expectations of what to delegate to AI – and what not Meet your new working student • Super smart and quick • Eager to impress with results you expect • Overconfident to the max • Not intrinsically curious Useful for repetitive tasks with clear context & high predictability
14. 2. For everything involving reasoning: Treat it as a thought partner (not tool) Cognitive forcing Role-based sparring Enjoy the journey!
15. 3. Be transparent & stay accountable • Be self-confident: Of course you use AI to enhance your work! • Be transparent: How have you used AI? How do you rate the results? • Show that you are fully accountable for your decisions!
16. We need to be intentional in how we use AI in our product work …individually …as a team
17. Product teams will mix humans with AI tools & agents
18. 1. Strict on the standards, fluid on the roles
19. 2. Develop new routines to ensure everyone stays committed and the team grows. Flipped Classroom Invest in learning together
20. 3. Emphasize human strengths Alignment Diversity
21. Nobody really knows how to best do this… Let‘s not wait, but actively and intententionally try what works!
22. Let‘s actively shape how we use the potential of AI in product management.. …individually …as a team • Calibrate your expectations • Thought partner, not tool! • Transparent & accountable! • Strict standards, fluid roles • New routines to grow • Emphasize human strengths
23. Thank you! Arne Kittler Contextual Product Leader & Advisor mail@arnekittler.de