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Context is Everything: The Massive Shift Making AI Actually Work in the Real World

6/30/2025

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Andrej Karpathy recently made a fascinating observation: prompt engineering represents maybe 0.1% of what makes industrial AI actually work. While many are still perfecting their AI prompts and collecting certifications, the engineers building production AI systems have quietly shifted to something more foundational—context engineering. It's the sophisticated architecture that's transforming AI from clever demos into systems that run real businesses, and it's why 'prompt engineer' might soon sound as nostalgic as 'webmaster.'
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The most significant shift happening in AI development isn't about bigger models or better algorithms—it's about fundamentally reconceptualizing how we architect information for artificial intelligence systems. Context engineering, emerging as the successor to prompt engineering, represents a maturation from clever prompt crafting to sophisticated information ecosystem design that's reshaping how AI systems operate in the real world.

Andrej Karpathy crystallized this transformation in a recent post: "People associate prompts with short task descriptions you'd give an LLM in your day-to-day use. When in every industrial-strength LLM app, context engineering is the delicate art and science of filling the context window with just the right information for the next step." This isn't merely semantic evolution—it signals a fundamental shift from experimental AI tools to production-ready systems capable of handling complex, mission-critical applications.

The change reflects a deeper industry recognition: successful AI applications depend less on clever prompting and more on architecting comprehensive informational environments. As context windows expand to millions of tokens and AI agents become autonomous, the ability to systematically engineer context has become the critical differentiator between basic implementations and transformative business applications.

From prompts to ecosystems: What changed

The evolution began with practical limitations hitting real-world deployments. Early prompt engineering focused on crafting better instructions—techniques like chain-of-thought prompting, few-shot learning, and manual refinement dominated the field from ChatGPT's November 2022 launch through 2024. But as organizations moved beyond experimentation to production systems, practitioners discovered that clever prompts represented perhaps 0.1% of the total context modern AI systems process.

Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke captured the essence of this shift: "Context engineering describes the core skill better: the art of providing all the context for the task to be plausibly solvable by the LLM." His emphasis on "plausibly" highlights a crucial insight—AI models don't possess intent or judgment; they predict based on provided context, making comprehensive context architecture essential for reliable performance.

The transformation accelerated through several key inflection points. Context window expansions reaching over one million tokens made context management more critical than prompt optimization. The rise of agentic AI systems requiring dynamic context management exposed the limitations of static prompting approaches. Most critically, enterprise deployments revealed that manual prompt engineering couldn't scale to handle complex business applications requiring real-time data integration, multi-modal information processing, and persistent memory across interactions.
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IBM's enterprise study of 1,712 users revealed telling behavioral patterns: context editing became more common than instruction modifications, users increasingly tested prompts across different contexts for robustness, and 22% of modifications involved multiple prompt components simultaneously. These patterns suggested that successful AI interaction depended more on comprehensive context assembly than prompt wordsmithing.
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Technical architecture: Beyond retrieval and memory

Modern context engineering encompasses sophisticated technical systems that would be unrecognizable to early prompt engineers. Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) has evolved far beyond simple document lookup. Advanced RAG implementations now include adaptive systems that dynamically adjust retrieval strategies based on query complexity, self-correcting mechanisms that filter and refine retrieved information, and hybrid approaches combining semantic embeddings with keyword matching for both understanding and precision.

GraphRAG, developed by Microsoft Research, represents a breakthrough in contextual reasoning. Rather than treating documents as isolated chunks, GraphRAG constructs knowledge graphs from unstructured text, enabling AI systems to perform global reasoning across entire datasets. The system extracts entities and relationships using LLMs, builds comprehensive knowledge graphs, applies community detection algorithms for hierarchical clustering, and generates summaries that enable both local entity-focused queries and global thematic questions.

Memory systems for AI agents have become equally sophisticated. Frameworks like Letta (formerly MemGPT) treat LLMs as operating systems managing two-tier memory architectures—in-context physical memory and external virtual storage with self-editing capabilities. Mem0's hybrid architecture combines vector stores, key-value databases, and graph storage with intelligent filtering, priority scoring, and dynamic forgetting mechanisms that mirror human memory patterns.
Context window management now involves adaptive chunking strategies that respect semantic boundaries, attention window optimization that processes only influential token relationships, and compression techniques that preserve information density while reducing computational overhead. The challenge isn't just fitting more information into context windows—it's selecting and organizing the right information for optimal performance.

Real-world deployment: From experiments to infrastructure

The transition to production systems has generated compelling case studies demonstrating context engineering's business impact. Five Sigma Insurance achieved an 80% reduction in errors and 25% increase in adjustor productivity by implementing AI systems that use context engineering to access policy data, claims history, and regulatory information simultaneously. The system's ability to understand complex insurance regulations within customer-specific contexts enabled previously impossible automation.

Block (formerly Square) became an early adopter of Anthropic's Model Context Protocol, connecting AI systems to payment processing data, merchant information, and operational systems. Their implementation demonstrates how context engineering enables AI agents to access real-world business data rather than operating on static information. As Block's CTO noted, "Open technologies like the Model Context Protocol are the bridges that connect AI to real-world applications."

Major AI companies have recognized context engineering as fundamental infrastructure. OpenAI announced MCP support across its products in January 2025, enabling agents to access external data sources through standardized protocols. Google launched its Agent2Agent protocol alongside Agent Development Kit, creating open standards for agent communication and coordination. Microsoft embraced dual protocol support across Azure AI Foundry and Copilot Studio, while reporting that 20-30% of their code is now AI-generated through context-aware systems.
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These deployments reveal context engineering's role in enabling sophisticated AI agents. Modern enterprise agents don't just answer questions—they access customer histories, retrieve real-time pricing information, coordinate with other agents, and maintain memory across extended interactions. The technology stack includes universal protocols like MCP for AI-data connections, comprehensive frameworks like LangChain and LlamaIndex for context management, and specialized vector databases for semantic retrieval.

The standardization moment: Protocols and platforms

The emergence of standardized protocols marks context engineering's maturation from experimental techniques to engineering discipline. Anthropic's Model Context Protocol, open-sourced in November 2024, has become the de facto standard for connecting AI systems to data sources. MCP's JSON-RPC 2.0 architecture enables secure, standardized communication between AI systems and enterprise data through client-server relationships that handle tools, resources, and prompt templates.

Google's Agent2Agent protocol represents complementary innovation focused on agent-to-agent communication rather than data access. A2A enables collaboration between AI agents across different frameworks, supporting coordination and task delegation through a universal language for agent interaction. The protocol gained support from over 50 technology partners including Salesforce, Oracle, and SAP, indicating industry-wide recognition of context engineering's importance.
These standards enable unprecedented integration possibilities. AI agents can now securely access Google Drive, Slack, GitHub, PostgreSQL databases, and custom enterprise systems through standardized interfaces. Over 1,000 community-built MCP servers were available by February 2025, creating an ecosystem of pre-built integrations that democratize sophisticated context engineering capabilities.
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The standardization extends beyond protocols to development frameworks. DSPy represents a major advancement in programmatic context management, moving beyond manual optimization to automated context engineering. The framework treats context optimization as an engineering problem with systematic approaches to context assembly, evaluation, and refinement.
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Technical challenges and breakthrough solutions

Context engineering faces substantial technical challenges that distinguish it from traditional software engineering. Context overflow—managing information density within token limits—requires sophisticated filtering and compression techniques. Modern systems implement hierarchical context management with different retention policies, associative memory using graph-based connections between concepts, and dynamic context sizing based on query complexity.
Latency versus accuracy trade-offs represent ongoing optimization challenges. Large context windows increase time-to-first-token, complex retrievals like GraphRAG require more processing than simple vector search, and comprehensive context assembly can introduce significant delays. Solutions include prompt caching for repeated context segments, parallel processing of retrieval operations, and intelligent routing that selects appropriate models based on query complexity.

Security considerations become more complex in context-rich environments. Traditional access controls must be adapted for AI systems that dynamically assemble context from multiple sources. Enterprise implementations require identity management for AI agents, secure data access controls with audit trails, and compliance frameworks that address AI-specific risks while maintaining functionality.
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Cost optimization strategies have become essential as context engineering scales. Organizations implement token efficiency measures through intelligent filtering, compression techniques for repetitive content, and dynamic context window sizing. Infrastructure optimization includes caching frequently accessed embeddings, batch processing for embedding generation, and load balancing across multiple model endpoints.

Future trajectories: What's next for context engineering

The immediate future centers on agentic AI systems that require sophisticated context management for autonomous operation. Gartner predicts that 33% of enterprise software will include agentic AI by 2028, with 80% of customer service issues resolved autonomously by 2029. These systems will demand context engineering capabilities far beyond current implementations.

Multi-modal context integration represents the next frontier. Current systems primarily handle text-based context, but future implementations will seamlessly integrate images, audio, video, and other data types within unified context frameworks. This evolution will enable AI systems to understand and respond to rich, real-world environments rather than text-only interactions.

Automated context engineering emerges as a critical development area. Future systems will optimize their own context management through machine learning techniques that understand which information sources prove most valuable for specific tasks. This meta-learning capability will reduce the manual effort required for context engineering while improving system performance.
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The academic foundations of context engineering are strengthening with theoretical frameworks adapting information architecture principles, cognitive load theory for understanding context complexity effects, and systems engineering approaches for context design. Research questions focus on measuring context quality, developing cognitive models for AI context processing, and ensuring context security at scale.

Strategic implications for organizations and practitioners

Organizations must recognize context engineering as infrastructure investment rather than experimental technology. The companies achieving significant AI-driven productivity gains—Block's payment processing improvements, Five Sigma's insurance automation, HDFC ERGO's personalized services—all implemented sophisticated context engineering capabilities as foundational systems.

The skills gap represents both challenge and opportunity. Context engineering requires competencies combining traditional software engineering with AI understanding, domain expertise, and information architecture principles. Organizations building these capabilities now will possess significant competitive advantages as AI systems become more prevalent and sophisticated.

Practitioners should expand beyond prompt crafting to system-level context design, programming frameworks like DSPy and MCP integration, and domain-specific context optimization. The field is evolving rapidly enough that continuous learning and adaptation are essential for relevance.
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The emergence of context engineering reflects AI's maturation from experimental tools to foundational business infrastructure. Success increasingly depends not on prompting cleverness but on sophisticated information architecture that dynamically adapts to user needs, integrates multiple data sources, and maintains coherent understanding across complex interactions.
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Conclusion

Context engineering represents more than terminology evolution—it embodies a fundamental shift in how we design and deploy AI systems. The transformation from prompt engineering to context engineering parallels the historical progression from assembly language programming to modern software architecture: both involve moving from low-level optimization to systematic design principles that enable complex, reliable systems.

The organizations and practitioners recognizing this shift early will be best positioned to leverage AI's transformative potential. Context engineering is becoming as fundamental to AI development as database design is to traditional software engineering. As we advance toward more capable AI systems and expand context windows, the competitive advantage will belong to those who master the art and science of context architecture.

The revolution is already underway, driven by practical necessity rather than theoretical advancement. Every major AI deployment now requires sophisticated context management, from insurance automation to payment processing to code generation. The question isn't whether context engineering will become essential—it's whether organizations will develop these capabilities quickly enough to capitalize on the AI transformation reshaping entire industries.

Context engineering isn't the future of AI development—it's the present reality for any organization serious about deploying AI systems that deliver measurable business value in complex, real-world environments.
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The PM's AI Superpower: Designing, Coding, and Launching Solo

7/11/2024

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I set myself an exciting challenge today: a 60-minute AI-powered creative writing sprint. What you're about to read is the result of this experiment, generated using GenAI tools with minimal edits. While the process was AI-assisted, the content genuinely reflects my current thoughts and ideas. This entire journey—from initial concept to final publication—took less than an hour.

  • Here is the original prompt: “Can you help me write a blog post showing how product managers can use generative AI as an "exoskeleton" to become an invincible combination of designer, software engineer, product manager all-in-one person, leveraging visual AI and coding for prototyping and product development, then using generative ai for product testing, launch, marketing, then using ai to iterate on product incremental improvements based on user feedback, etc .... I need an outline, well written paragraph with citations and links, as well as your own conclusions and next steps and vision on the next 12 months”
  • And a follow-up prompt “Can you write the entire article based on your outline?”
  • Models: Claude 3.5, and GPT4-o (I also generated some illustrations using MidJourney 6)
  • A note: in 60 mins, I didn’t have the time to verify neither Claude’s nor 4-o’s research quotes, numbers and links, so please don’t take them for face value, they could be giant hallucinations.

What you're about to read is the result of an hour-long iterative process. I've refined the content, ensured proper formatting, and verified overall coherence. To achieve a more natural, human-like tone, I utilized a combination of AI tools including Claude 3.5, Grok, and GPT-4o. This blend of AI assistance helped create a cohesive final product.


The AI-Powered Product Engineer: Becoming an Invincible Force in Product Development

The role of product managers has always been multifaceted, demanding a blend of business acumen, technical knowledge, and creative problem-solving. Now, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is reshaping this landscape, offering product managers an unprecedented opportunity to enhance their capabilities across all aspects of product development.

Generative AI emerges as a powerful 'exoskeleton' for product managers, augmenting human ingenuity rather than replacing it. This technology enables product managers to become a formidable combination of designer, software engineer, and strategic thinker, all in one.

This article explores how generative AI empowers product managers to become versatile forces in design, development, testing, and marketing. We'll examine how this synergy of human expertise and AI capabilities is transforming the product creation and launch process, ushering in a new era of efficiency and innovation in product management.


Design and Prototyping

Design and prototyping are pivotal stages in product development, transforming abstract ideas into tangible models. Generative AI is now revolutionizing this process, offering product managers powerful new tools to approach design and prototyping.

AI-enhanced platforms like Figma, Canva, Adobe Firefly (integrated throughout the Creative Suite), MidJourney, and Stable Diffusion are enabling PMs to create and iterate on prototypes at unprecedented speeds. This acceleration significantly reduces the time and resources needed for initial prototyping, while simultaneously expanding the range of design possibilities that can be explored.

These advanced tools offer features such as auto-layouts, smart suggestions, and responsive resizing, dramatically shortening the journey from concept to model. For instance, Figma's AI-driven auto-layout feature dynamically adjusts components, ensuring impeccable alignment and spacing in designs. Tools like Adobe's Sensei, are empowering product managers to create high-fidelity mockups and prototypes with minimal technical design expertise, effectively bridging the gap between ideation and implementation.

This democratization of design allows product managers to communicate their vision more effectively and iterate rapidly based on stakeholder feedback. Moreover, AI can generate design alternatives and predict user preferences, enabling data-driven design decisions. By analyzing extensive datasets of user interactions and preferences, AI can recommend design elements likely to resonate with target audiences. This not only accelerates the design process but also enhances the quality and user-friendliness of the final product.

In essence, generative AI is transforming product managers into more versatile and efficient designers, allowing them to bring their visions to life with greater speed and precision than ever before.


Coding and Development

Is it just me or is it all moving to no-code slowly?

Just look at all the recent examples of features added to notable LLM playgrounds:


  • Anthropic's Claude 3.5 artifacts, auto prompting, and prompt evaluation tools
  • GPT-4o chatting with your local docs (privately)
  • OpenAI's TTS and function calling in the Playground
  • Flowise AI's advanced features to integrate LLMs with APIs
  • Google AI Studio code execution

I find all of these very useful for experimenting quickly with ideas. There is no ultimate playground yet but it's getting easier to experiment with LLMs.

Generative AI is transforming the coding and development landscape, offering powerful tools that assist in writing and debugging code. While product managers aren't expected to replace software engineers, AI is enabling them to contribute more substantively to the development process.

AI-powered code generation tools such as GitHub Copilot, Tabnine, and OpenAI's Codex are empowering product managers to create basic prototypes and proof-of-concepts without extensive coding expertise. These tools enhance coding efficiency and reduce errors, allowing PMs to engage more directly with the technical aspects of product development.

A recent study suggests that AI coding assistants can potentially reduce development time by up to 30%, facilitating faster product cycles. By automating repetitive coding tasks and identifying potential bugs early in the development process, these tools free up product managers to focus on higher-level problem-solving and innovation.

This AI-augmented approach to coding enables product managers to bridge the gap between conceptual design and technical implementation more effectively. It allows for rapid iteration and testing of ideas, potentially leading to more innovative and refined products.


Product Management

At the heart of product management is the ability to make informed decisions about product direction and feature prioritization. In this domain, AI is proving to be an invaluable ally. Machine learning algorithms can analyze vast amounts of market data, user behavior, and industry trends, providing product managers with actionable insights for strategic decision-making. Generative AI can assist in creating comprehensive product roadmaps by suggesting potential features based on market trends and user needs, and help prioritize these features by simulating different scenarios and predicting their potential impact on user satisfaction and business metrics.

Product Testing and User Feedback. AI-driven user testing simulations are revolutionizing product validation before launch. These simulations can model thousands of user interactions, helping product managers identify potential usability issues or feature gaps that might be overlooked in traditional testing methods. Generative AI can also help prioritize bug fixes by analyzing the impact and frequency of issues, enabling PMs to allocate resources effectively and address critical bugs promptly, leading to improved product quality and faster iteration cycles. Post-launch, AI-powered sentiment analysis tools can process feedback from various channels to provide a holistic view of user satisfaction and pain points, enabling product managers to respond quickly to user needs and continuously improve the product.

Product Launch and Marketing. Successful product launches require well-coordinated marketing efforts and strategies. AI-powered workflows can generate marketing copy, create visuals, and produce video content, allowing product managers to rapidly develop and test different marketing materials. AI tools like Copy.ai, Jasper, and AI-driven social media management platforms can automate content creation, campaign management, and customer engagement. AI can also analyze user data to create personalized launch strategies, ensuring that the right message reaches the right audience at the optimal time, a level of personalization previously unattainable without significant time and resource investment.

Continuous Improvement and Iteration. The product manager's role extends beyond launch. AI-powered analytics tools can continuously monitor product performance, user engagement, and market trends, providing real-time insights for ongoing improvement. AI tools for sentiment analysis and user behavior tracking offer valuable insights into product interaction. Platforms like Qualtrics and Medallia analyze customer feedback from various channels, identifying trends and areas for improvement or emerging user needs. This enables product managers to stay ahead of the curve, continuously iterating and improving their product to maintain a competitive edge.

Challenges and Considerations. While AI's potential in product management is immense, its implementation must be approached thoughtfully. Ethical concerns, particularly around data privacy and algorithmic bias, need careful consideration. Product managers must ensure responsible use of AI tools and maintain transparent and accountable decision-making processes. There's also the challenge of balancing AI assistance with human creativity and intuition. While AI can provide valuable insights and automate many tasks, the uniquely human qualities of empathy, creativity, and strategic thinking remain irreplaceable in product management


Conclusion

Generative AI is revolutionizing the role of product managers, enhancing their efficiency and versatility to unprecedented levels. This transformation represents a paradigm shift in product conception, development, and improvement. By leveraging AI as an 'exoskeleton,' product managers can transcend traditional role boundaries, becoming more adaptable, efficient, and effective in driving product success.

However, this AI-augmented future of product management isn't about replacing human skills, but rather enhancing them. The most successful product managers will be those who can effectively collaborate with AI, using it to amplify their creativity, decision-making, and strategic thinking.
Looking ahead, we anticipate a landscape where AI not only assists but also anticipates the needs of PMs, providing intelligent suggestions and automating routine tasks. This will enable PMs to focus more on strategic decision-making and innovation, leading to the creation of superior products and enhanced user experiences.

As AI continues to evolve, product managers will need to continuously upskill to remain relevant. By embracing this AI-driven transformation, product managers can become the driving force behind the next wave of technological advancement. This future keeps human ingenuity at its core, amplified and empowered by artificial intelligence.


For product managers willing to embrace this change, the possibilities are boundless. The synergy between human expertise and AI capabilities promises to unlock new levels of innovation and efficiency in product management, paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in the field.

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Here is the Claude 3.5 result (1 single gen)

The AI-Powered Product Manager: Becoming an Invincible Force in Product Development

I. Introduction
The role of product managers has always been multifaceted, requiring a blend of business acumen, technical knowledge, and creative problem-solving. However, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is reshaping this landscape, offering product managers an unprecedented opportunity to enhance their capabilities across all aspects of product development.
Enter generative AI - the new "exoskeleton" for product managers. This powerful technology is not replacing human ingenuity but rather augmenting it, allowing product managers to become an invincible combination of designer, software engineer, and strategic thinker all rolled into one.

II. Design and Prototyping
Generative AI is revolutionizing the way product managers approach design and prototyping. By leveraging visual AI tools like DALL-E 2 and Midjourney, product managers can rapidly generate and iterate on design concepts, significantly reducing the time and resources required for initial prototyping. These AI-powered tools not only speed up the ideation process but also allow for the exploration of a wider range of design possibilities.

AI-assisted design tools like Figma's AI features and Adobe's Sensei are empowering product managers to create high-fidelity mockups and prototypes with minimal technical design skills, effectively bridging the gap between ideation and implementation. This democratization of design enables product managers to communicate their vision more effectively and iterate faster based on stakeholder feedback.

III. Software Engineering and Development
While product managers aren't expected to replace software engineers, AI is enabling them to contribute more meaningfully to the development process. AI-powered code generation tools like GitHub Copilot and OpenAI's Codex are making it possible for product managers to create basic prototypes and proof-of-concepts without extensive coding knowledge.

Furthermore, AI is revolutionizing testing and debugging processes. Automated testing tools powered by machine learning can identify potential bugs and performance issues early in the development cycle, allowing product managers to address problems proactively and ensure a higher quality product at launch.

IV. Product Management
At the core of product management lies the ability to make informed decisions about product direction and feature prioritization. AI is proving to be an invaluable ally in this domain. Machine learning algorithms can analyze vast amounts of market data, user behavior, and industry trends to provide product managers with actionable insights for strategic decision-making.

Generative AI can assist in creating comprehensive product roadmaps by suggesting potential features based on market trends and user needs. It can also help prioritize these features by simulating different scenarios and predicting their potential impact on user satisfaction and business metrics.

V. Product Testing and User Feedback
AI-driven user testing simulations are transforming the way products are validated before launch. These simulations can model thousands of user interactions, helping product managers identify potential usability issues or feature gaps that might have been missed in traditional testing methods.

Once a product is in users' hands, AI-powered sentiment analysis tools can process feedback from various channels - social media, support tickets, app store reviews - to provide a holistic view of user satisfaction and pain points. This enables product managers to respond quickly to user needs and continuously improve the product.

VI. Product Launch and Marketing
Launching a product successfully requires a well-coordinated marketing effort. Generative AI is proving to be a game-changer in this arena. AI tools can generate marketing copy, create visuals, and even produce video content, allowing product managers to rapidly develop and test different marketing materials.
Moreover, AI can analyze user data to create personalized launch strategies, ensuring that the right message reaches the right audience at the right time. This level of personalization was previously unattainable without significant time and resource investment.

VII. Continuous Improvement
The product manager's job doesn't end at launch. AI-powered analytics tools can continuously monitor product performance, user engagement, and market trends, providing real-time insights for ongoing improvement

Machine learning algorithms can analyze user behavior patterns to suggest feature improvements or identify emerging user needs. This enables product managers to stay ahead of the curve, continuously iterating and improving their product to maintain a competitive edge.

VIII. Challenges and Considerations
While the potential of AI in product management is immense, it's crucial to approach its implementation thoughtfully. Ethical concerns, particularly around data privacy and algorithmic bias, need to be carefully addressed. Product managers must ensure that AI tools are used responsibly and that decision-making processes remain transparent and accountable.

There's also the challenge of balancing AI assistance with human creativity and intuition. While AI can provide valuable insights and automate many tasks, the uniquely human qualities of empathy, creativity, and strategic thinking remain irreplaceable in product management.

IX. Conclusion
The integration of AI into product management represents a paradigm shift in how products are conceived, developed, and improved. By leveraging AI as an "exoskeleton," product managers can transcend traditional role boundaries, becoming more versatile, efficient, and effective in driving product success.
However, this AI-augmented future of product management isn't about replacing human skills but enhancing them. The most successful product managers will be those who can effectively collaborate with AI, using it to amplify their creativity, decision-making, and strategic thinking.

X. Future Outlook
Looking ahead, we can expect AI to become even more deeply integrated into product management workflows. We may see the emergence of AI assistants specifically designed for product managers, capable of providing real-time advice on product decisions, automatically generating reports, and even participating in brainstorming sessions.

As AI continues to evolve, product managers will need to continuously upskill to stay relevant. This might involve developing a deeper understanding of AI and machine learning concepts, as well as honing uniquely human skills that complement AI capabilities.
The future of product management is undoubtedly AI-powered, but it's a future where human ingenuity remains at the core, amplified and empowered by artificial intelligence. For product managers willing to embrace this change, the possibilities are truly limitless.

Here is the GPT4-o result (2 gens)

Harnessing Generative AI: The Ultimate Exoskeleton for Product Managers

Introduction
In today's fast-paced tech environment, product managers (PMs) are expected to wear multiple hats, seamlessly integrating roles of designers, developers, and marketers. Generative AI emerges as a powerful exoskeleton, enabling PMs to amplify their capabilities across these domains. This article explores how generative AI can empower product managers to become a multi-faceted force in design, development, testing, and marketing, transforming the way products are created and launched.

The Role of Generative AI in Design and Prototyping
Design and prototyping are critical stages in product development where ideas are transformed into tangible models. Generative AI tools like Figma and Adobe XD, enhanced with AI capabilities, allow PMs to create and iterate on prototypes swiftly. These tools offer features such as auto-layouts, smart suggestions, and responsive resizing, which significantly reduce the time from concept to model. For example, Figma's AI-driven auto-layout feature allows for dynamic adjustment of components, ensuring that designs are always perfectly aligned and spaced.

Moreover, AI can assist in generating design alternatives and predicting user preferences, enabling PMs to make data-driven design decisions. By analyzing large datasets of user interactions and preferences, AI can suggest design elements that are likely to resonate with target audiences. This not only speeds up the design process but also enhances the quality and user-friendliness of the final product.

Coding and Development with AI Assistance

Generative AI is revolutionizing the coding and development landscape by providing powerful tools that assist in writing and debugging code. AI coding assistants such as GitHub Copilot, TabNine, and OpenAI Codex empower PMs to write code more efficiently and with fewer errors. These tools leverage large language models to understand and generate code, offering real-time suggestions and auto-completions.

According to a recent study by McKinsey, AI coding assistants can reduce development time by up to 30%, enabling faster product cycles. By automating repetitive coding tasks and identifying potential bugs early in the development process, these tools help PMs focus on higher-level problem-solving and innovation.
For instance, GitHub Copilot can suggest entire blocks of code based on simple comments, allowing PMs to quickly implement features and functionalities. This not only accelerates the development process but also ensures that the code is clean and consistent with industry best practices.

AI in Product Testing and Quality Assurance

Product testing and quality assurance are essential for delivering reliable and high-quality products. Generative AI tools like Testim.io and Applitools are transforming these stages by automating testing processes and enhancing bug detection capabilities. These tools use AI to create and execute test cases, identify anomalies, and predict potential issues.

Automated testing tools can simulate thousands of user interactions, ensuring that the product performs well under various conditions. For example, Applitools uses AI-driven visual validation to detect visual bugs that traditional testing methods might miss. By comparing screenshots of the application under test with a baseline image, it can identify even the smallest visual discrepancies.

Furthermore, generative AI can help prioritize bug fixes by analyzing the impact and frequency of issues. This enables PMs to allocate resources effectively and ensure that critical bugs are addressed promptly, leading to improved product quality and faster iteration cycles.

Marketing and Launch Strategies Powered by AI

Generative AI is also making significant strides in the realm of marketing and product launch strategies. AI tools like Copy.ai, Jasper, and AI-driven social media management platforms can automate content creation, campaign management, and customer engagement. These tools leverage natural language processing and machine learning to generate compelling marketing copy, create personalized email campaigns, and manage social media posts.

For instance, Copy.ai can generate product descriptions, blog posts, and ad copy tailored to specific audiences, significantly reducing the time and effort required for content creation. By analyzing customer data and behavior, these tools can also suggest optimal times for posting on social media, target specific audience segments, and track campaign performance in real-time.

AI-driven marketing strategies have been shown to increase engagement and conversion rates. For example, a recent campaign by a leading e-commerce company used AI to personalize email content based on user preferences, resulting in a 20% increase in click-through rates and a 15% increase in sales.

Continuous Improvement and Iteration

One of the most powerful aspects of generative AI is its ability to facilitate continuous improvement and iteration based on user feedback. AI tools for sentiment analysis and user behavior tracking can provide valuable insights into how users interact with a product. Tools like Qualtrics and Medallia analyze customer feedback from various channels, identifying trends and areas for improvement.

By leveraging AI-driven insights, PMs can make data-informed decisions to enhance the product incrementally. For example, sentiment analysis can reveal common pain points and feature requests, guiding the development of new functionalities. Additionally, AI can help prioritize improvements based on their potential impact on user satisfaction and retention.

Companies excelling in continuous improvement through AI include Spotify and Netflix, which use AI to analyze user behavior and preferences, constantly refining their algorithms and user interfaces to enhance user experience.

Conclusion

Generative AI is transforming the role of product managers, making them more efficient and versatile than ever before. By leveraging AI in design, development, testing, and marketing, PMs can drive faster product cycles, improve quality, and create more effective marketing campaigns. Over the next 12 months, we can expect AI tools to become even more integrated, offering seamless workflows that further enhance productivity and innovation.

Next Steps:

  1. Adopt AI Tools: Start by integrating AI-powered tools into your existing workflows. Experiment with different tools to find the best fit for your needs.
  2. Continuous Learning: Stay updated with the latest advancements in AI and product management practices. Attend webinars, workshops, and training sessions.
  3. Collaborate with AI Experts: Work closely with AI specialists to understand and maximize the potential of these tools.
  4. Focus on User Feedback: Leverage AI to gather and analyze user feedback continuously, ensuring your product evolves based on real user needs.
  5. Prepare for Future Trends: Keep an eye on emerging AI trends and be ready to adapt and incorporate new technologies as they become available.

Vision for the Next 12 Months: The future of product management lies in the seamless integration of AI across all stages of product development and lifecycle management. We envision a landscape where AI not only assists but also anticipates the needs of PMs, providing intelligent suggestions and automating repetitive tasks. This will allow PMs to focus more on strategic decision-making and innovation, leading to the creation of superior products and enhanced user experiences. By embracing this AI-driven transformation, product managers can truly become the invincible force driving the next wave of technological advancement.

By following these steps and embracing the potential of generative AI, product managers can ensure they stay ahead of the curve, leading their teams and products to greater success in an increasingly competitive market.

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MY TAKE AWAYS FROM AG TECH

2/27/2022

6 Comments

 
This is a video summary of my thoughts as I leave the agriculture industry after 3 years. My focus in the video is my achievements awhile at Nutrien building their digital e-commerce platform. My high level summary: disruption will come from cultural change and regulation in an industry where land owners, input manufacturers and global consumer package goods companies increasingly will run the show.  
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Some notes on web3, digital health and a new+changed workforce

1/23/2022

6 Comments

 
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{my current notes on a few things I have been following this month: web3, digital health, and a changed workforce}
 
New directions for digital healthcare
In the past two years we have seen rapid cycles of innovation, deployment and deliveries of health care technologies that would have been difficult imagine even 5 years ago – but is 2022 going to be the big year during which we learn about what actually works in digital health? For example, there has been a rapid expansion of insurance coverage for remote patient monitoring, like the remote collection (use connected sensors) of patient blood pressure, weight, or blood glucose levels measurements in both public and private insurance systems – for example my healthcare provider offered me a full year of access to both apple fitness plus and peloton.
 
This is a really great step forward using digital technology and tools to help improve the life and the experience of those who engage with the health care systems …. But now is perhaps the time to look at all of this data to find out, learn and reflect on how well these tools work and for whom? I think success in health tech will be measured in how the existing health care system improves in quality, patient-centricity, and convenience using these insights and driving the vision of a digital health future.
 
 
NFTs in the mainstream (finally) driving crypto adoption?
It turns out that 2021 saw a huge spike in the creation and sale of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as People bought and traded NFTs of everything from contemporary art to images of apes and a giant tungsten cube .

In many ways, I think there’s nothing new here since NFTs provides just a sort of digital deed to establish the ownership of a certain good. They make it possible to assign and transfer ownership of digital assets like digital art and music, they make clear who the owners are. In addition, NFTs are programmable, which makes it possible to expand their features, as a result, their value over time.
 
As more mainstream brands and artists  continue to popularize NFTs in 2022 and with marketplaces like OpenSea and Coinbase NFT coming up in 2022, these products will become significantly more accessible to consumers. Most importantly, NFTs have already proven that they can bootstrap communities of consumers and capture the public’s imagination in a way that cryptocurrency mostly hasn’t. The demand for NFTs is already driving innovation to make crypto wallet technology to more intuitive and better protected for consumers, which makes it more likely that NFTs will finally help take crypto mainstream.
 
A new and changed workforce
In 2021, most companies have viewed the evolutions caused by the Pandemic as an anomaly. They were wrong. Covid actually has accelerated many underlying trends that were latent in the labor market before the onset of the pandemic. Companies will now have to account for them in their human resource strategy.
 
I think the disruption is far beyond what most imagine. The workforce cultural makeup post-pandemic and the supply-demand imbalance is becoming a permanent feature on recruiting which is going to make companies have to re-engineer basically everything in recruiting and retention, in particular working much harder in reducing turnover as many people reconsider the role of work in their lives. Most importantly, firms depending on creative and knowledge workers will be better served to consider how they can reshape their job descriptions to retain talent fed up with fulfilling various corporate process “requirements” and “culture compliance” to make themselves attractive to a new and powerful class of gig workers with world-class skills.
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