There’s been a lot of noise lately about AI and the future of product management, and it’s making waves across teams. 

I’ve been talking to folks at small startups, joining in at meetups, and connecting with people across all levels. The vibe? Pretty anxious.

You’ve probably heard it too: “Product management is dying.” That infamous Inc. article from October last year even talked about “the untimely death of product management.” It’s no wonder so many people are nervous – whether they’re actively job hunting, trying to upskill, or just wondering what the future holds.

And it’s not just individual contributors (ICs). Leaders are asking, “How do I guide my team through this?” 

So, that’s what I want to unpack today – the fears and shifts product teams are facing, how AI is actually being used (and where it’s falling short), and some real, practical ways both ICs and leaders can adapt, communicate better, and build stronger teams in this new era.

Product teams aren’t going anywhere

First, let’s get one thing straight: product management is still here – and it’s still needed.

Sure, we’ve got tools like ChatGPT that can help with the basics, but we still need humans for creativity, innovation, and gut-level intuition. I read a great take recently: if you’d asked ChatGPT to come up with Nike’s slogan, you’d probably get something like “Run faster” or “Be better.” Not exactly Just do it, right?

That human spark matters. So, instead of panicking, we should be thinking about how to use these tools to be better at what we already do.

The PM role hasn’t changed – but the expectations have

In every company I’ve worked with lately, the message is clear: product still drives the full product lifecycle. We’re still responsible for outcomes. We’re still setting strategy, talking to customers, running experiments, even taking meeting notes (yes, still).

What’s changed is everything that’s being added to our plates. Now we’re also expected to:

All of that is layered on top of our existing responsibilities. It's a lot, but if anyone's equipped to handle change, it’s us.

Product people are built to adapt

Adaptability is in our DNA. We've weathered plenty of big shifts that redefined how we work – and we came out stronger each time.

  • Social media changed how we engage.
  • Big data made analytics essential.
  • Mobile transformed how we build.
  • Product-led growth (PLG) reshaped our go-to-market strategies.
  • Continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) accelerated how fast we ship.
  • Remote work reshaped how we collaborate.

Each shift forced us to rethink our approach. Remember when shipping a feature in a single day felt impossible? Now we can have an idea in the morning, ship it by the afternoon, and be collecting feedback by dinner.

AI and automation are just the next chapters in that story. Like everything else, they’ll eventually feel like second nature.

No speed limit for growth

I’m a big fan of Tobias Lütke, the CEO of Shopify. He recently appeared on a great episode of Lenny’s Podcast. One quote really stuck with me: 

“There’s no speed limit for personal growth.”

Another idea he shared really shifted my perspective – what if we’re living in the dystopia now, and the future is actually better? Twenty years ago, we couldn’t have imagined doing what we do on a phone today – the iPhone didn’t even exist before 2008! The pace of progress is wild.

So yes, things are changing fast, but I’m confident we’ll keep adapting, just like we always have.

Why we still need a human in the loop

From what I’ve seen across different organizations, writing and communication seem to be where teams are leaning on AI the most. And honestly, I think that’s also the area where we’ve got the most room to improve.

Let me share a couple of examples.