AI is transforming how we work. From understanding user behaviors and pain points to generating wireframes and prototypes at unprecedented speed, these tools are powerful partners for product managers working to build something great.
When it comes to thinking about the role of AI in product management, I have a favorite analogy: LLM and other AI tools are the sous chefs in the product development kitchen, while the product manager (PM) acts as the head chef. AI handles the heavy lifting—braising the steaks, stewing the sauces, and prepping the ingredients with unmatched efficiency. But just as a Michelin-starred restaurant relies on its head chef to design the menu, perfect the presentation, and add that final garnish or swirl of sauce, PMs bring the human touch that elevates a product from merely functional to extraordinary.
It may seem like a paradox, but the more powerful AI gets, the more critical the human element of product management becomes. While AI can optimize and automate, it’s the human PM’s judgment, taste, and agency that ensure products resonate deeply with users at the end of the day. Here are five areas where PMs must lean into their uniquely human strengths to build products that thrive in the AI era.
1. Storytelling rooted in empathy for users
At its core, product management is about solving human problems. AI can analyze user data, but only a PM can empathize with the emotions, frustrations, and aspirations that lie behind it. By deeply understanding users’ (often unarticulated) needs, PMs design products that feel intuitive and meaningful, like a dish that warms the soul.
A product’s success hinges on its story—why it exists, whom it serves, and how it fits into users’ lives. The best PMs are artful storytellers, weaving narratives that inspire teams, align stakeholders, and resonate with users. This human skill can help transform an ordinary product into the extraordinary mainstay of a beloved brand.
2. Navigating ambiguity to build a strategic vision
AI excels at spotting patterns, but it lacks the foresight to craft a long-term product vision. As head chefs, human PMs have the vision to design the menu that aligns with the brand’s identity and anticipates market shifts. This strategic clarity ensures the product isn’t just a collection of features but a cohesive story that captivates users.
Part of charting this overarching strategic vision involves navigating murky waters—conflicting stakeholder priorities, incomplete data, or ambiguous user feedback. AI struggles in these gray zones. But guided by their intuition and experience, human PMs can make nuanced trade-offs that balance short-term wins with long-term goals.
3. Taste and aesthetics grounded in cultural fluency
Addressing user paint points is necessary, but not sufficient, to build a great product. Great products don’t just solve problems; they resonate within their audience’s culture and context. PMs infuse products with cultural fluency, ensuring they feel authentic and relevant to diverse users. This human insight is what makes a product feel like it “gets” its audience.
Put another way: Great products have a “vibe”—an emotional and aesthetic resonance that makes them unforgettable. PMs bring taste to the table, curating the product’s design, tone, and personality. Like a chef placing a sprig of kale for visual flair, PMs ensure the product feels polished and culturally relevant.
4. Building responsibly and ethically
As AI becomes more and more integral to product development, PMs must ensure its use aligns with ethical standards. While amazingly efficient, these systems can be plagued by biases and, when wielded incorrectly, can create major compliance headaches and potential reputational damage.
It’s up to PMs as humans to guide AI systems in a way that mitigates biases, protects user privacy, and maintains trust and security. Serving users well means serving them responsibly.
5. Creative problem-solving
While AI can optimize existing solutions, human PMs bring creative flair to tackle new challenges. Whether it’s reimagining a user flow or finding an unconventional product-market fit, their out-of-the-box thinking creates breakthroughs that AI’s pattern-based approaches might otherwise miss. In other words, rather than passively consuming AI outputs, humans augment its capabilities strategically, refining and reshaping its contributions to drive novel and unexpected successes.
The human touch makes all the difference
The rise of AI doesn’t diminish the PM’s role—it amplifies it. To thrive in this era, PMs must double down on their human strengths. Upskill in AI literacy to better direct your sous chefs, yes, but invest even more in empathy, storytelling, and ethical leadership. Taste, judgment, and cultural fluency will be your differentiators in a world where AI handles the heavy lifting.
Product managers of the world, now is the time step into the spotlight to create products that don’t just perform—they inspire, delight, and endure.
Want to learn more about how Pendo helps product teams build amazing software? Get a demo here.
こちらもご覧ください
