Episode 230: AI Is Just A Tool - What Matters Is How We Use It

An interview with Assaph Mehr, Product Leader and Fantasy Author

YouTube Link | Podcast Link (all platforms)

Who is Assaph Mehr?

Assaph Mehr is an Australia-based product & people leader as well as a published fantasy author, who also uses his writing chops to produce a newsletter, "Rise of the Product Leader". I’ve known Assaph online for a while, and he was a mentor for my (now-defunct) mentoring platform, as well as a regular commentator on product management and product leadership topics. He came on the podcast to give me his hot take on the current AI bubble.

Episode highlights:

1. AI is an angle grinder, not a universal solution

Assaph uses an analogy comparing AI to an angle grinder - it's excellent at specific tasks but completely wrong for others, like using an angle grinder to prune roses. He's particularly critical of companies building AI solutions from "parts found in their neighbour's shed," suggesting many current implementations are sketchy and potentially dangerous.

2. Modern AI is like an intern who sometimes smokes weed

Assaph describes current AI systems as being like interns - they've read the books and are keen, but they sometimes hallucinate and can't be trusted with expert-level work. He emphasises that while AI is useful for basic tasks, it’s far from the human replacement that some companies claim.

3. Silicon Valley is living in an AI bubble

There's a stark disconnect between Silicon Valley AI evangelists and the rest of the world. While tech pundits and VCs are claiming AI will solve everything, creators and regular users are experiencing stolen content and unreliable outputs. Assaph suggests that many of the grand AI claims are more about attracting VC money than reflecting reality.

4. AI will eventually have its “plane crash moment"

Sometimes, AI causes mere inconvenience, like when the Air Canada chatbot gave wrong advice, which led to liability issues. Eventually, someone will use AI for a high-stakes use case that it’s totally unsuitable for, and it’ll all come crashing down. Assaph believes this inevitable disaster will finally trigger the regulation that the industry needs, likely starting with the EU.

5. Product managers can't outsource their thinking to AI

Taking aim at PMs who praised AI-generated strategy documents, Assaph agrees this reflects poor strategic thinking skills rather than AI capability. He argues that while AI can write well-formatted, good-looking documents, it fundamentally lacks the business understanding and taste needed for real strategy work.

Contact Assaph

Find Assaph on LinkedIn or subscribe to his newsletter. If you're interested in fantasy novels, check those out too.

Related episodes you should like:

• Embracing Change to Innovate in Product Management (Greg Coticchia, CEO @ Sopheon)

• The Big Pivot to Reinvent Product Management (Yana Welinder, Founder & CEO @ Kraftful)

• Debbie Levitt's Hot Take - Democratising our Work means AI is Going to Steal all our Jobs Sooner (Debbie Levitt, CXO @ DeltaCX and Author "Customers Know You Suck")

• Greg Prickril's Hot Take - AI is going to change everything for Product Managers (Greg Prickril, B2B Product Management Coach, Consultant & Trainer)

• Andy Walters' Hot Take - We’re Soon Going to be Living in an AI-Assistant-First World (Andy Walters, CEO @ Emerge Haus & Generative AI Expert)

• Bjarte Rettedal's Hot Take - AI Models Should Be Under Public Ownership or Completely Transparent (Bjarte Rettedal, UX Designer)

• Reinventing the Future of Customer Success with Human-First AI (Nick Mehta, CEO @ Gainsight)

• Matt Maier's Hot Take - AI Will Lead to a Post-Employment World (...and That's Good!) (Matt Maier, Product Marketer and AI Enthusiast)

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