How to Become an AI-First PM and Designer

Learn how to transition into AI-focused product management and design roles through this 51-minute interview with Paul Adams, Chief Product Officer at Intercom. Discover practical strategies for product managers and designers to develop AI skills and secure positions working on AI products, while exploring why traditional problem-first approaches may not always apply to AI product development. Examine Intercom's strategic pivot to AI-first customer service, including how they restructured their entire roadmap to build an AI chatbot capable of resolving 50% of support queries without human intervention. Explore the evolving landscape of customer support, the potential impact of AI on support jobs, and why AI technology is creating a wider gap between exceptional and average product managers. Gain insights into hiring practices for AI product roles, understand the unique challenges of building AI products, and learn the "think big, start small, ship to learn" methodology for AI product development in today's rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Syllabus

00:00 Will AI make us dumber and lazier?
01:32 How PMs and designers can skill up on AI
05:05 AI will further separate great vs. mediocre PMs
09:00 The rise of "AI PMs" and how to learn without the BS
13:44 What Paul looks for when hiring people to work on AI
16:32 How building AI products is different
21:05 Why is customer support so terrible
26:48 How AI will transform customer support
31:03 Will AI hurt customer support jobs?
33:00 Why AI products challenge "start with the customer problem"
38:26 Think big, start small, ship to learn
46:08 Closing words for advice for building in the age of AI